Fridge Full of Nothing & GF Minestrone Soup

I came up with two options from the fridge full of nothing for dinner last night, one was red pesto pasta and the other minestrone soup, with pasta in. In the end the husband brought back a curry from the Aagrah Indian restaurant, they are very good and know which dishes are GF, which is nearly all of them.

So I never made the Minestrone soup, I make it quite a lot these days, its very easy and uses up whatever vegetables are in the fridge, even hardened vegetable haters will eat this with enough cheese. Here is the recipe...

GF Minestrone Soup

red pepper 1, sliced
green or savoy cabbage 1/4, sliced into thin strips
small white onions 2, chopped
carrots 2, chopped
garlic clove 1, chopped
panchetta cubes 1 handful
tinned tomatoes 1
kallo GF vegetable stock cube 1, made up as per instructions (use water or own stock if casein free)
italian mixed herbs 1tsp
grated parmesan loads
GF spaghetti 100gms, broken up
salt & pepper to taste

fresh parsleyor chives if you like

Will make enough for 3 people, so add more cabbage, tomatoes and stock for more soup.

Other vegetables you can put in: Peas, chopped celery, green beans, leeks, courgettes

Fry your panchetta cubes in a big saucepan till the fat has all run out and they are nice and brown. Now saute your onions and carrots in the pan till the onions are soft. Add your peppers, garlic, tinned tomatoes, herbs and get nice and bubbling. Pour over your stock and simmer for around 20 minutes, or until the carrots taste cooked, taste and season the broth with plenty of salt. Now add your softer vegetables if you are using any, like green beans, and your cabbage. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the spaghetti and boil for 8 minutes till the pasta is done. Serve in nice wide bowls, sprinked with parsley or chives and smothered in Parmesan. No bread needed as you have all the pasta and vegetables!

This soup should have a nice orange coloured watery broth, its not a thick soup, sometimes I add some chilli oil at the end for a bit of kick. As for the cabbage, I like to use the little baby cabbages that they sell at sainburys as you get two in a pack and one of these is just enough for this recipe, and then the other one stores well.