Tomato and borlotti bean soup

Fresh vegies and simple pantry staples come together in this one-pot meal

Preparation Time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)
* 1 tbs olive oil
* 1 brown onion, coarsely chopped
* 2 celery sticks, ends trimmed, thinly sliced
* 1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, crushed
* 1 x 400g can diced Italian tomatoes
* 1L (4 cups) vegetable stock
* 1 x 400g can borlotti beans, rinsed, drained
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh continental parsley
* 4 wholegrain bread rolls, to serve


Method
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes or until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic.
2. Add the tomato and stock and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the beans and cook for 2 minutes or until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Ladle the soup among serving bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately with the bread rolls.

Notes & tips
More options
* Pumpkin & red lentil soup: Omit the celery, carrot and borlotti beans. In step 2, add 1.5kg butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 3cm pieces, and 325g (1 1/2 cups) split dried red lentils to the pan with the tomato and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with the bread rolls.
* Moroccan chickpea hotpot: Omit the stock and bread rolls. Replace the borlotti beans with 1 x 400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained. Replace the parsley with chopped fresh coriander. Increase the tomatoes to 2 cans. Add 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1/4 tsp ground ginger and a pinch of ground cinnamon to the pan with the garlic in step 1. Serve with steamed rice.
* Hearty bean & pasta soup: Replace the borlotti beans with 1 x 400g can red kidney beans, rinsed, drained. Cook 200g dried fusilli pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water following packet directions or until al dente. Divide pasta among serving bowls. Ladle over the soup. Sprinkle with parsley and finely grated parmesan to serve.

Source
Australian Good Taste - Page 41
Recipe by Tracy Rutherford