Minestrone soup with Melba toast

Minestrone is a delicious Italian soup packed with wholesome goodness. Our version is low in fat, and with the addition of chickpeas and cannellini beans, it’s low GI too.

Makes 1.25 L
Nutritional content per serving:
1270kJ | 55g carbohydrate | 14g protein | 4g fat | 12g fibre

Ingredients:
15 ml olive oil
1 leek, halved lengthways and thinly sliced
1 stick of celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 carrot, finely grated
45 ml tomato paste
400 g can chopped tomatoes
750 ml vegetable stock (we used Nomu’s new liquid fonds)
2 bay leaves
salt and ground black pepper
4 large baby marrows, diced
400 g can chickpeas
400 g can cannellini beans

Instructions:
1.Heat the oil in a saucepan over moderate heat. Fry the leek, celery, garlic, and carrot for ±5 minutes until soft.
2.Add the tomato paste and tomatoes, stock and bay leaves. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the baby marrow and simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste.
3.Add the chickpeas and beans and heat through.
4.Serve with fresh avo or a spoonful of pesto.

Quick ideas:

1. Make a big batch of soup for dinner and freeze the leftovers in batches for a satisfying lunch in a flash. Make sure that the soup has cooled down completely before freezing and remember that it will expand slightly during freezing so do not fill containers to the brim.

2. Make your own delicious (and low-fat) croutons using day-old rye bread. Preheat the oven to 120ÂC. Thinly slice the rye bread and pack in a single layer on a baking tray. Dry out until crisp. Cool on a wire rack and store in a sealable bag for up to a week. Scrunch over your soup just before munching.