My Minestrone Soup!

I'm all Halloweened out! Today was teacher training at Merina's pre-school and it feels like the never ending half term! We had a really lovely day and made some delicious minestrone soup - I could eat gallons of this! My Mum used to make it for Ross (my Brother) and I as children and it takes me right back to my childhood its a real goody!

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 bacon Rashers chopped
• 2 leeks chopped
• 1 celery stick chopped
• 3 carrots chopped
• 1 onion diced
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 big handful of pasta I used tiny shells but add what you like as long as its small!
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• Herbs - Oregano, rosemary
• 3/4 pint water

Method

1. Chop and prepare all vegetables, cut them all quite small and roughly the same size-ish so it cooks at the same time.
2. Add the Bacon and oil to large pan and cook until golden brown.
3. Add all the vegetables and garlic to the same large pan a cook vegetables until softened about 10/15 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, puree, water and herbs to the pan and cook for 20 minutes stirring every now and then.
5. Finally add the pasta, in mine the tiny shells and cook until they are soft about seven more minutes.
6. Serve with grated Parmesan and warm crusty buttered bread! A winter lunch doesn't get better than this! Yum Yum!!