Early gluten-free autumn minestrone

Early Gluten-free Autumn Minestrone

Serves: 4 people
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Early gluten-free autumn minestrone

Ingredients

  • 8 oz canned red beans, drained
  • 2 cups chopped pumpkin
  • ⅛ cup water
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 4 slices of bacon, chopped
  • 2 small red onions, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
  • ½ head fennel, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 small bunch fresh basil, leaves and stalks separated
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • 2 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
  • 8 oz spinach, washed and roughly sliced (including stalks)
  • 2 cups chicken, ham or vegetable stock
  • 2 oz quinoa
  • Sea salt and pepper

Instructions

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  1. Add red beans and pumpkin to a pan with rosemary, 1 tbsp olive oil and water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, or until pumpkin is tender. Turn off the heat and set aside.
  2. In the meantime, add 2 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan with chopped bacon, onions, carrots, celery, fennel, garlic and basil. Sweat very slowly on a low heat, with the lid just ajar, for around 15 to 20 minutes until soft, but not brown.
  3. Add tomato and zucchini and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
  4. Now add spinach, stock, quinoa and beans and pumpkin mixture. Stir and continue to simmer until quinoa is cooked.
  5. If you think the soup is looking too thick, add a little more stock. Then taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with the torn-up basil leaves and with some extra virgin olive oil drizzled over the top.