Warm up your winter evenings with this hearty and nourishing Winter Minestrone recipe. This delicious dish, featuring butternut squash and rosemary, is the perfect comfort food.
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
1 large brown onion, peeled and finely diced
3 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium size carrots, peeled and cubed into a rough 1cm dice
2 stalk celery, cubed into a rough 1cm dice
1 large potato, peeled and cubed into a rough 1cm dice
1 (400ml) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup passata or 2 tbsp tomato paste mixed with 1/3 cup water
1 (400ml) can butter beans or kidney beans
1/2 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed into 1.5cm dice
2 small rosemary sprigs or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 dried chilli (optional)
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 cups baby spinach
1 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup small shape pasta
Method
Heat the oil in a large pot, add the diced onion and garlic. Sauté until fragrant and golden, then add the carrots, celery, potato, tomatoes, passata and beans. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Add the stock, butternut squash, aromatics, and seasoning. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
In the meantime, bring a medium-sized saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until slightly undercooked (al dente), strain and set aside.
Just before the soup is ready, add the cooked pasta and baby spinach.
Serve the soup topped with grated parmesan cheese and crusty sourdough bread on the side.
Recipe and photo by Samira Damirova.
