MINESTRONE SOUP

Here's another child friendly recipe where you can hide some greens. A good friend of mine gave me the recipe for this pretty traditional Italian dish. My kids love it with some pasta and a little bit of grated parmesan on top - but I'm sure it's equally tasty without. I have mine with some fresh spinach and flat parsley on top.

You need:

• 2 carrots
• 1 stack of celery
• 1 cup of dried split peas
• 1 cup of dried cannellini beans
• 1 small zucchini
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• pinch of chilli (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• handful of fresh spinach
• handful of fresh flat parsley
• handful of fresh basil
• 4-5 medium size tomatoes
• 2 cups of vegetable stock
• pinch of black pepper
• pinch of italian dried herb mix
• pinch of Himalayan salt

Optional:

• pasta
• parmesan cheese

Before you make this dish check the cannellini beans you are using. Some you have to soak overnight. Check the ones you are using.

Take a big soup pot, add 1 cup of water, heat it up until it starts boiling. Peel and crush garlic. Add it to the pot with some chilli. Let the garlic soften a little. Wash and dice carrots and celery, add them with split peas and cannellini beans. Add 2 cups of vegetable stock and approx. 4-5 cups of water. Let it boil for about 15 minutes. Add washed and diced zucchini cubes.

Blend tomatoes in a blender until smooth and add to the soup. Chop spinach, basil and parsley and add with a pinch of black pepper, italian herb mix and salt. Let boil another 15 - 20 minutes until vegetables are soft and the soup gets a bit thicker. If you prefer a runnier consistency add more water.     

Heidi x