Dinner in a Bowl – Minestrone Soup

This soup is a winter staple. It is light, but incredibly satisfying. It warms you from inside, and is lovely especially when you have caught a cold, or when its cold outside J I have had this soup frequently during my Masters days in the UK. It stores well in the fridge, and is flexible in terms being able to make this with very little planning ahead; it generally comes together with whatever leftovers you might have in the house.

This is a great dinner dish, in that it is light but tasty and nutritious. It being chock full of vegetables makes it hearty and filling, without making you feel heavy. You can make a sizeable batch and put leftovers in the fridge; it will store well for up to a week. Add whatever you want in it – Rajma beans, White beans, Tofu, Paneer, sprouts – the world is your oyster! All in all, it scores on being calorie-light and nutrition-heavy 😉

 Ingredients:

• 2 tomatoes – pureed
• Ginger garlic paste – ½ tsp
• Sweetcorn – ½ a cup
• Green peas – ½ a cup
• Green bell pepper – ½, chopped finely
• Yellow bell pepper – ½, chopped finely
• Carrot – 1, chopped finely
• Cauliflower – ½ a cup of small cut florets
• Green beans – ½ a cup
• Italian seasoning (or your choice of herbs)– ½ a tsp
• Black pepper powder – ½ a tsp
• Kashmiri chilli powder – ½ tsp
• Salt to taste
• Sugar to taste
• Olive oil – 2 tsp
• Any noodles or pasta– ½ a cup (dry measure)
• Water – 4 cups

Recipe:

1. Wash all the vegetables; finely chop, and pressure-cook with a pinch of salt for 1 to 2 whistles. Drain the water and set aside the veggies. Do not throw away this water, it is nutrient rich and we will be utilizing this shortly in the soup.
2. Heat some olive oil in a saucepan. Once hot, add the dried herbs, ginger garlic paste and sauté for a few seconds until they release an aroma; be careful not to burn them.
3. Add the veggies and quickly sauté in the herbed oil for about 2 minutes on a medium flame.
4. Add the tomato puree, chilly powder, salt and sugar and sauté well for 3-5 minutes until the tomato has cooked well on medium to high flame.
5. Add the noodles/pasta, add water (about 2 cups) and bring the flame down to medium-low.
6. Let the mixture boil until the noodles/pasta are done, about 15 minutes.
7. Add the remaining water.
8. Now check the taste and add salt and black pepper powder as required.
9. Finish with a dash of olive oil.

Serve hot with a big spoon! Oh, a slice of grilled cheese toast or warm garlic bread would be heavenly alongside this soup. Try it!

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