About the Recipe
Containing less than 550 calories per serve, this veggie soup is perfect for those wanting to dine well, but dine lighter! The tomato flavour in the soup is not overpowering like some minestrones.
Ingredients
2 tomatoes
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
3 vegetable stock cubes
1 potato
1 zucchini
400g chickpeas
150g peas
mint
50g parmesan
1 lemon
100g baby spinach leaves
750ml (3 cups) boiling water
1 tbs olive oil
2 BBQ chicken breasts
Preparation
1. Prep ingredients
Finely chop the tomatoes and onion. Crush or finely chop the garlic. Crumble 3 stock cubes* into a heatproof jug, add 750ml (3 cups) boiling water and stir to dissolve.
2. Start soup
Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and garlic, stirring regularly, for 4-5 mins until softened. Increase the heat to high and add the tomato and stock. Cover and bring to the boil.
3. Prep vegetables
Meanwhile, cut the unpeeled potato into 1.5cm chunks. Quarter the zucchini lengthwise and cut into 1cm chunks. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
4. Cook vegetables
Add the potato to the soup and return to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, for 5-6 mins until the potato is almost tender. Add the zucchini and cook, covered, for 2-3 mins until softened. Shred the BBQ chicken then add to the soup. Add the chickpeas and peas and cook for a further 2 mins or until the vegetables are tender.
5. Prep condiments
While the vegetables are cooking, finely shred the mint leaves, discarding the stems. Finely grate the parmesan. Cut the lemon into wedges.
6. Finish soup and serve
Remove the pan from the heat. Add the spinach and mint to the soup and stir to wilt the spinach. Taste, then season with salt and pepper. Divide the soup among bowls and scatter with the parmesan. Serve with the lemon wedges to squeeze over.