• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3-4 bacon rashers chopped finely
• 1 onion chopped finely
• 1 carrot chopped finely
• 2 celery sticks chopped finely
• 3 medium sized cloves of garlic
• 8 cups beef or  lamb stock
• 1 cup tomato passata
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 finely chopped medium tomato (if available)
• Sea salt & pepper
• 1 tbsp of dulse (optional)
• 1/2 cup of quinoa (preferably soaked for 6-8 hours)
• 1 cup finely shredded cabbage
• 1 cup roughly chopped kale (cavolo nero works well)
• 1/2 cup fresh italian parsley roughly chopped (fresh basil could also be added in)
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas (optional)
• 1 cup cooked cannellini beans
• Parmesan to serve (if tolerated) and/or home made pesto

Directions:

1. Gently heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and saute the bacon, onion, carrot and celery until just softened.
2. Add the other vegetables and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the garlic is softened and aromas release.
3. Add the stock, passata, tomatoes (if using) tomato paste, dulse, sea salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, simmer, cover for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Stir occasionally.
4. After 15 minutes add the quinoa.  (the quinoa needs 10-12 minutes to cook in the simmering soup)
5. Just before the soup is cooked and ready to go add the cabbage, kale and parsley.
6. Simmer uncovered for 5-10 mins.  Try not to overcook the cabbage, so that it still has some crunch to it.
7. Once the soup is cooked, stir through the cooked cannellini beans and warm through the soup.
8. Serve with grated parmesan cheese, finely chopped fresh herbs and/or a pesto.

Notes

• Zucchini and/or mushrooms could also be added in at the same time as the liquid.  (Add in any other vegetable you or your family loves).
• If I don’t have cannellini beans I use adzuki beans or red kidney beans instead.
• fussy eaters.  Some kids don’t like ‘lumpy’ soups.  Try blending their soup (except for the beans) and adding in the beans separately at the end.   If the soup becomes too thick, add in more stock or water.

Time Saving Tip

• Cook 1 cup instead of 1/2 cup of quinoa separately.  It can be cooked either ahead of time or while the soup is cooking and use extra quinoa in salads or accompanying other meals the following day.   Add the cooked quinoa to your soup at the same time as the cannellini beans.