Tuscan Beans ‘n’ Bacon Soup

Good Pair Days -
  • 50ml olive oil
  • 300g smoked bacon, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 2 red onions, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 2 potatoes, chopped
  • 6 tomatoes, chopped
  • Small bunch of thyme and rosemary, tied with a string
  • 130g small orecchiette pasta or similar
  • 2 litres hot beef stock
  • 1 x 400g tin of cannellini beans, drained
  • 100g baby leaf spinach
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pesto, to serve
  • Heat up the oil in a large saucepan, and chuck in the bacon to fry for 4 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the sherry vinegar, then add the onions, carrots, garlic, celery, and leek. Cook for 10 minutes to soften, then add the potatoes and tomatoes, and the bunch of herbs. Squash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, and bring it all up to a simmer.
  • Add the pasta to the veggies, then pour in the hot beef stock. Cook until the pasta is almost al dente, remove the bundle of herbs, then stir in the cannellini beans and spinach. Cook for another 3 minutes, then serve with a dollop of pesto, and some crusty bread.
30 mins
4 serving