Winter minestrone

I can't believe I haven't posted a recipe for winter minestrone! I swear I put in different ingredients every time I make it, to suit what I have in the fridge and what the weather is like outside. Today it's freezing outside with snow on the mountains, so I shall make a wintery thick soup. And it'll taste even better tomorrow!

Winter minestrone

2 tbsp oil
1 pack of pancetta cubes or 2 bacon rashers snipped with a scissors
2 carrots diced
1 large onion
3 stalks of celery diced
3 garlic cloves
2 baby cabbages shredded
4-5 leaves of cavolo nero
1 tin beans (borlotti, cannellini, butter)
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon of tomato purée
Sun dried tomatoes in oil (optional)
2 handfuls of dried pasta
Salt and pepper
Herbs (e.g. basil, parsley)
Parmesan

Add the pancetta cubes to the oil and fry until golden. Add the diced celery, carrot and onion (or make a sofrito if you're a foodie!) and cook until they go translucent. Add the cabbage and cavolo nero and heat them through the mixture. Add the tinned tomatoes and bring to a very gentle boil.

Add the beans and torn sundried tomatoes. Add some pasta pieces (any dry type really) that you have crunched up into small pieces. You're looking to match the size of the vegetable chunks if you're using something like penne or spare lasagna sheets, or 2cm in length for things like spaghetti or linguine.

Before you let it all cook through (this depends on how thinly things are chopped and the pasta pieces so keep an eye on it after 15 mins) stir in the tomato purée and herbs. Taste for seasoning.

When it's ready serve with Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of oil, crusty bread and most importantly, in a BIG bowl.

Enjoy!