Planet Veggie

Last week I was ill. Not very ill, but ill enough that I wouldn’t have gone to work, had I a job to go to in the first place.

So, because I was ill, I should have been eating healthy meals but because I was ill, I couldn’t be bothered to make any and so I lived on a diet of crumpets and packaged food. Why wasn’t The Meat Eater looking after me and making me healthy meals, you may ask? I also asked him the same question.

Bah.

What I should have had is this bean and vegetable soup. It’s one of those soups that make you feel healthy just by looking at it as it’s crammed full of, um, beans and vegetables.

It’s taken from The Vegetarian Student Cookbook which contains loads of quick and cheap recipes, more of which I’ll be testing and posting soon.

Bean and vegetable soup (serves 6)

1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1.2 litres vegetable stock
2 carrots, diced
150g mushrooms, chopped
2 courgettes, diced
700ml passata
400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
150g green cabbage, shredded
3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil
salt and black pepper

In a large saucepan, soften the onion and garlic in 4 tablespoons of the stock for 5 minutes, with the lid on. Stir in the carrots, mushrooms and courgettes, season and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the passata and the remaining stock and bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Mix in the beans and cabbage, re-cover the pan and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning and stir in the basil just before serving.

Credits:
Bean and vegetable soup
Recipe by Tamsin Burnett-Hall, The Vegetarian Student Cookbook, Ryland Peters & Small