Italian borlotti bean, pumpkin & farro soup

3 of 5-a-day bean soup beans fibre freezable healthy low calorie low fat pumpkin pumpkin soup soup soup recipe vegetable soup vegetable soup recipe vegetarian

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Ingredients

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , plus extra to serve

1 onion , finely chopped

1 celery stick , cut into chunks

750g pumpkin or squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into small chunks

1 carrot , peeled and cut into chunks

3 garlic cloves , chopped

3 tbsp tomato purée

1.2l chicken stock or vegetable stock

75g farro or mixed grains (such as barley or spelt)

50-80g parmesan rinds or vegetarian alternative (optional), plus a few shavings to serve

400g can borlotti beans , drained

2 handfuls baby spinach

2 tbsp chopped parsley or 8 whole sage leaves

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion, celery, pumpkin or squash and carrot and cook until the vegetables have some colour. Add a splash of water and some seasoning, then cover the pan and let the vegetables cook over a very low heat for 5 mins.

Add the garlic and cook for another couple of mins, then add the tomato purée, stock, mixed grains, parmesan rinds, if using, and some seasoning. Simmer for about 15 mins (or until the grains are cooked), adding the beans for the final 5 mins. In the last few mins, add the spinach, then taste for seasoning.

If you want to use sage, fry the leaves whole in a little olive oil before adding to the soup. If you prefer to use parsley, you can just add it directly to the soup. Serve with shavings of parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top of each bowlful. Remove the parmesan rinds and serve.