With the weather gradually becoming colder I have been craving more and more warmer meals. Soup, stews and curries are without any doubts my fall/winter heroes and this minestrone is my latest favourite. It only require few humble ingredients and it never fails to be utterly delicious and satisfying. The addition of croutons of course it’s optional but I couldn’t recommend it more! They add a lovely crunchy bite to the dish and if you leave them in the bowl they soak up all the delicious flavours of the soup!

Ingredients:

Serves 2-3 people 

1 onion – finely chopped 

1 medium size carrot – finely chopped 

1 stick of celery- finely chopped 

2 garlic cloves – crushed 

1 sprig of rosemary 

1 bay leaf 

1 tin of cannellini beans – drained and rinsed 

1 tin of chopped tomatoes 

1 tbsp of tomato puree 

1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar 

Around 500/700ml of veggie stock 

A generous handful of kale – roughly chopped 

Salt & pepper to taste 

1 tbsp of olive oil 

For the croutons:

3 slices of sourdough or ciabatta style bread 

2 tbsp of olive oil 

A sprinkle of salt 

Tear the bread into pieces, place them on a baking tray, drizzle with the oil and sprinkle the salt. Give them a good toss and bake them in the oven at 150 degrees Celsius for 25-30 minutes until very crispy.

In the meantime get on with the minestrone. To a large pan add the oil, once hot add in the chopped onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook on medium heat for 8-10 minuets until the onion starts to caramelised. Add in the bay leaf and rosemary. Cook for another minute. Add in the tinned tomatoes, tomatoes puree, balsamic vinegar and beans. Mix everything together and cobra with the veggie stock. Put the lid on and let it cook on a simmer for 30 minutes. Add in the chopped kale and cook for another couple of minutes. Serve with the crunchy croutons on top.