Fast minestrone soup

Minestrone is a complete meal in a bowl. If you have vegetables in the freezer and cans of tomatoes and beans in the cupboard, this soup is a fast family meal for only $3.32 per person.

Cooking directions

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion, garlic and bacon until soft on a medium heat.
• Add chicken stock and tomatoes. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Add the beans, frozen vegetables, pasta and parsley and simmer for another 10 minutes until pasta is tender.
• Stir frequently to avoid sticking to the pan.
• Taste and add pepper and a little salt if required.

Try:

• Adding crushed garlic when you fry the onion and bacon.
• Using any fresh or frozen vegetables you have on hand - courgettes, capsicum, carrot and celery.
• Leaving out the bacon if you don't have any handy or if you are vegetarian.
• Using red kidney beans instead of white beans.
• Adding 2 cups chopped cabbage. Add at the same time as pasta.

Photo courtesy of vegetables.co.nz

Ingredients

2 1/2 tablespoons oil

2 1/2 onions, finely chopped

2 1/2 bags frozen stir-fry vegetables, (look for mixes with beans, courgettes, red pepper, etc)

5 rashers lean bacon, fat removed and chopped

5 cans chopped tomatoes

2 1/2 cans white beans (eg, cannellini beans), drained

2 1/2 cups small pasta, such as macaroni

2 1/2 handfuls fresh parsley, optional

10 cups chicken stock, or mix 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder per cup water