Minestrone Soup (no pasta)
Eating 5 to 8 servings of vegetables a day is THE best way to maintain or improve health. If you struggle to meet this target, soups are the best way to increase the amount of vegetables you eat. Juices tend to be more fruity than veggie and can lose the fibre.
This recipe gives you 4 to 5 servings of vegetables in one plate and if your breakfast and dinner are very low carb, this recipe will keep you well.
I like my Minestrone with a little bite, not overcooked and mushy. Chickpeas have great fibre and lignans for the menopause years which is why they are included and I add Miso Hatch paste as I am a woman in my 50’s! Miso is useful for the menopause.
I make 2 large servings and I do not store this soup. It is best fresh. This is a quick soup to make once you have chopped 3 vegetables.
Total recipe: 46g Carb. 643 kcals. 38g Protein. 35g Fat 18g Fibre
Makes 2 large servings (1 servings is 4.5 ladels, 500ml-600ml)
One Serving: 23 Carb 321 kcals
One serving
| Fibre | Protein | Carbohydrate | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9g | 19g | 23g | 17g |
Ingredients
Makes 2 servings
15ml, 1 tablespoon olive oil
70g, 2 rashers with all visible fat removed, chopped into small chunks
60g, half a white onion, thinly chopped
15g, 3 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped
3 tablespoons dried oregano
140g, 2 celery sticks, thinly chopped
80g, 1 carrot, thinly chopped
150g, 1/4 of a head of cauliflower, chopped into small florets
1 beef stock cube or chicken stock cube with 500ml water
5g, a chunk of Miso Hatch (for menupausal isoflavones)
1 tin of cherry tomatoes, with tomatoes whole preferably
110g, half a drained tin of chickpeas
any fresh herb you like to dress – parsley, basil, coriander
10g, parmesan shavings
Method
Gather all the ingredients and prepare as directed under the ingredient list
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan
Add the onion, garlic, rasher chunks and oregano. Stir and cook briefly.
Add all of the other ingredients except the parmesan and fresh herb and bring to a gentle boil
Turn the heat down to low (2 on my hob) and allow the soup to quietly cook and flavours to blend for about 30 mins.
Turn it off and leave it sit. I make it in the morning and gently re-heat for lunch or dinner. The soup tastes much better when it is left and re-heated later.
When serving shave some parmesan on top and scatter some freshly chopped basil.
