Hearty Minestrone
This is one of those soups we genuinely make on repeat through the colder months. It's proper hearty, packed with celeriac, swede, lentils and swiss chard, and it tastes like someone spent all day on it even though it's on the table in 40 minutes. The fresh herbs make a huge difference here, so don't skip them. Every spoonful is thick, warming and full of real flavour. If you're looking for something to make tonight that'll leave you feeling genuinely satisfied, this is it.
Before You Start
- Large saucepan
- Blender
- Sealed containers for storage
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion
- 2 carrots
- 1 celery stick
- 150g celeriac
- 150g swede
- 400g Swiss chard
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 x 400g can of green lentils
- 1 x 400g can of plum tomatoes
- 10g thyme
- 4 sage leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 750ml vegetable stock
- 50ml white wine
- 10g parsley
- 1 tsp white miso
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 25g parsley
- 20g pine nuts
Method
Start with the veggies
- Peel, trim and roughly chop the red onion and carrots
- Slice the celery in to similar sized pieces
- Peel and grate the garlic
- Peel and roughly chop the celeriac and swede in to 1 cm pieces
- Shred the swiss chard leaves in to thin strips and roughly chop the stalks
- Drain and rinse the lentils
- Remove the thyme, sage and parsley from the stems and roughly chop
Cook the veggies
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, place the carrots, onion and celery in the pan and fry over a low/medium heat until soft
- Add the celeriac and swede and cook for a further 15-20 minutes
- Add the chard and garlic to the pan and cook for a further 2-3 minutes
- Add the chopped thyme, sage and bay leaf to the pan and stir through
- Once all the vegetables are soft, add the lentils, tomatoes, stock, wine and bring to the boil
Simmer the soup
- Taste the soup and season to perfection with salt and pepper
- Cover and simmer for 13-15 minutes
While the soup is cooking, make the parsley pesto
- Add the pine nuts to the blender and blitz into a meal
- Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until the ingredients come together into a textured pesto
- Place half the pesto in a sealed container and save for another day
Finish and serve
- When the soup is ready, place half the pesto in a bowl, add the remaining pesto and scatter with parsley
- Pour the remaining half of the soup into a sealed container, let it cool down to room temperature and place the container in the fridge ready to be reheated and eaten for lunch later in the week (make sure it’s piping hot)
Tips & Variations
- Herb swap: We love the thyme, sage and parsley combo but if you've only got dried herbs in the cupboard, that's totally fine. Just use about a third of the amount and add them in with the veggies rather than at the end.
- Make it heartier: Ian loves throwing in a tin of cannellini beans alongside the lentils for extra protein and a lovely creamy texture. Genuinely takes it to another level.
- Celeriac and swede alternatives: If you can't get hold of either, parsnips or turnips work brilliantly here. Cut them into similar 1cm pieces and they'll cook at the same rate.
Why This Works
The trick is building the base slowly with the onion, celery, carrots and garlic before anything else goes in. That little bit of patience early on gives you a depth of flavour that carries through the whole soup. The lentils also do a lot of heavy lifting here, thickening everything up naturally so it feels substantial without being stodgy.