Our Favourite Italian Vegetarian Soup

We look forward to eating this as the weather starts to turn each autumn. Hearty and soul nourishing it makes a great meal. Feel free to swap the navy beans for leftover cooked meat (like roast beef/lamb/chicken) if desired.

Serves 4

You’ll Need:

2 Tbsp tallow or coconut oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 celeriac or 2 swedes, peeled and chopped (or potato)

1 tsp fennel seeds, chop roughly on your board

1 tsp dried chilli, or to taste

700g tomato passata

2 bay leaves

1 bunch cavalo nero (Tuscan cabbage) finely shredded

1 cup cooked navy beans

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Warm the oil in a heavy based saucepan (about 3L size). Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery and sauté on medium high heat, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes.

2. Add the celeriac or swede, fennel and chilli, stir until fragrant and then add the passata and bay leaves. Add some filtered water to evenly cover all the ingredients.

3. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until swede/celeriac is cooked through. You may need to top up water a little as it simmers.

4. Add the cavalo nero and beans, stir to warm through and wilt the greens, about 2-3 minutes then serve.

Freezer note: This soup can be cooked, portioned and frozen for an easy lunch or dinner. While celeriac/swede can be frozen it tends to go a little mushy, you can omit it for this reason if you prefer.