Rustic Italian pasta and bean soup

2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5 2 rating(s)
Rustic Italian pasta and bean soup

This chunky soup brings together the best of Mediterranean flavours

30 minutes

Serves 2

WCRF recipe author logo

Recipe by: World Cancer Research Fund | cancer and nutrition experts

By making your own soup, you can control the ingredients you use and be sure your soup is full of goodness – and lower in fat, salt and sugar than most tinned versions.

WCRF recipe author logo

Recipe by: World Cancer Research Fund | cancer and nutrition experts

By making your own soup, you can control the ingredients you use and be sure your soup is full of goodness – and lower in fat, salt and sugar than most tinned versions.

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • ½ medium carrot, diced
  • 1 stick celery, finely chopped
  • ½ small red pepper, diced
  • ½ small courgette, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, finely diced
  • 1 x 227g can chopped tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons tomato purée
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • Bay leaf
  • ½ teaspoon dried mixed herbs
  • 600ml reduced-salt vegetable stock
  • 30g small wholemeal pasta shapes
  • 50g canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 50g baby leaf spinach
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon grated parmesan
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

CALORIES: 189

FAT: 3.5g

5 A DAY: 3

SALT: 1.1g

SUGAR: 12.7g

Method

  1. Place the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and heat gently. Add the onion, carrot, celery, red pepper, courgette and garlic. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.
  2. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, sugar, bay leaf, mixed herbs and stock to the pan. Bring to the boil over a medium heat then simmer gently for 8 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
  3. Add the pasta and drained beans, then bring back to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring from time to time until the pasta is just cooked. Stir in the spinach and season with black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, remove the bay leaf and ladle the soup into bowls. Stir in the parmesan and lemon juice, then serve immediately.

For a more substantial meal, toast a slice of rustic wholemeal bread and place in the bottom of the soup bowl

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