Fava Bean Minestrone

Adapted from the Ultimate Soup Biblebasil

Delicious!

Ingredients
2 tbls olive oil
2 onions peeled & finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled & finely chopped
(I put almost everything in the food processor to chop up)
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
5 2/3 cup boiling water
1 lb. shelled fresh fava beans
8 oz snow peas, cut into fine strips
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp tomato paste
2 ounces spaghetti (I used brown rice spaghetti), broken into 1 1/2 inch pieces
8 oz baby spinach
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
2 tbls chopped parsley
handful of basil leaves
Parmesan cheese

1. Heat the oil in a pot and add the chopped onions and garlic. Cook over low heat for 4-5 min until softened not browned.
2. Add the carrots and celery, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes, until the veggies are tender.
3. Cook the fava beans (I used canned so skipped this step only because fava beans aren’t in season just yet – use fresh when possible) in boiling, salted water for 4-5 min. Remove with a slotted spoon, refresh under cold water and set aside.
4. Bring the pan of water back to a boil, add the snow peas and cook for 1 min until just tender. Drain, then refresh under cold water and set aside.
5. Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste to the soup. Cook for 1 minute. Puree two or three large ladlefuls of the soup and a quarter of the fava beans in a food processor or blender until smooth. Set aside.
6. Add the spaghetti to the remaining soup and cook for 6-8 min, until tender. Stir in the puree and spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the fava beans, the snow peas and parsley, and season well.
7. When you are ready to serve the soup, stir in the basil leaves, ladle the soup into deep cups or bowls and garnish with sprigs of basil (so it is sticking up out of the soup – looks pretty!). Serve a little grated Parmesan with the soup.

Categories