This is so rich and tasty that it really is a meal in itself. You can use any type of small pasta shapes for this recipe, or just snap larger pasta shapes into small pieces. This soup freezes well.
This is so rich and tasty that it really is a meal in itself. You can use any type of small pasta shapes for this recipe, or just snap larger pasta shapes into small pieces. This soup freezes well.
Typical nutritional content (per portion)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 leeks, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 teaspoons garlic paste or 2 garlic cloves, crushed
1.4 litres (2.5 pints) reduced salt chicken or vegetable stock
1 heaped tablespoon tomato purée
Pinch of dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
75g (3oz) small pasta shapes
400g (14oz) tin haricot beans, drained and rinsed
Freshly ground black pepper
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, leeks, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are beginning to soften, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the stock to the vegetable mixture and add the tomato purée and thyme and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender.
Stir the pasta into the soup with the haricot beans and simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the pasta is tender and the beans are heated through. Season to taste with pepper.
Ladle into bowls to serve and garnish with some thyme sprigs.