Simple Minestrone Soup

Finely dice the onion, and finely chop or mince the garlic. Cut the pancetta into 1cm strips. Finely chop the parsley including the stems. Put into a bowl all together, keeping a handful of parsley aside for garnishing.

Cut carrot, celery and zucchini in half lengthwise and then cut into thin slices, about 1-2cm thick. Put these together in a bowl. Peel the potato and cut into small cubes, about 2cm thick and keep seperate. Cut the beans into thirds and set aside.

Wash your spinach very well to remove any dirt and grit. Cut off the spinach stalks off and discard, then roughly chop the leaves and set aside. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.

In a medium-sized pot over medium-low heat, add the olive oil then add the onion, garlic, pancetta, and chopped parsley, including the stems and sauté, stirring often for 5 minutes until the onions are soft, translucent and smelling delicious.

Add the carrot, celery, zucchini, with bay leaves, salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring often for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and sweet.

Add the potato, chickpeas, tinned tomatoes and stock, and stir to combine. Put the lid on the pot, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the shell pasta and green beans, and continue to simmer with the lid off for another 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.

Add the spinach to pot and cook for a minute or until just wilted and bright green. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, then taste the soup, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve in bowls topped with grated parmesan, parsley leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.