Home Cooking Basics: Minestrone Stew

Another hearty meal meal for cooler nights. This minestrone stew makes enough for 4/5 servings, so it's great to make on the weekend and reheat throughout the week. And yes, it says "stew" not soup. It started as a soup that I kept adding chunky veges to, so now it's more like a stew - which I actually prefer.

Minestrone Stew


Ingredients

• 2 - 3 cloves garlic
• 1 onion
• 1 - 2 spring onions
• 1 - 2 potatoes
• 2 carrots
• 1 tin crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 container tomato paste
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tin four beans mix
• 1/2 - 1 cup pasta spirals or elbows
• 1 tin corn kernals
• 1 cup frozen peas

Directions
Brown cloves of garlic, onion and spring onion in a large frying pan.

Peel and dice potatoes and carrots. Add into frying pan and stir for a few minutes. Add in bean mix and stir.

Add in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and vegetable stock. Simmer for 20 - 30 mins, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes start to soften.

Add in the pasta, corn and peas. Season to taste. Simmer for further 20 - 30 mins, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft enough to eat. Serve with fresh bread.

 

Fresh ingredients. Add or subtract any veges you like.

  

Browning the garlic, onion and spring onion.

  

With the potatoes, carrots and bean mix.

  

With the addition of tinned tomato and tomato paste.

  

Adding in the vegetable stock. Simmering.

  

Last step - pasta, peas and corn.

  

Served - note the stew-like appearance rather than soup?

Served with Sonoma soy and linseed bread.