Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
125g green beans, sliced
1 courgette, chopped
2 vegetable stock cubes, dissolved in 300 ml (½ pint) boiling water
600ml (1 pint) tomato juice
2 teaspoons mixed dried Italian herbs
40g tiny pasta shapes
50 g canned red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
2 tomatoes, chopped
50g cabbage, finely shredded
Freshly ground pepper

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, carrot, green beans and courgette and sauté gently for about 5 minutes, until softened

Add the vegetable stock, tomato juice and dried herbs to the saucepan. Bring up to the boil, and then reduce the heat. Cover and cook over a very low heat for about 15 minutes.

Add the pasta shapes, red kidney beans and tomatoes and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Add the cabbage and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with black pepper.