Healthy Winter Vegetable Soup

A nice, big soup which serves as a perfect winter comforter. This is an adaptation of an age old family recipe. My family are Italian and this is adapted from a typical "rustic" country dish. I have adapted it to better suit ingredients found in England and North America as these are the ingredients I can most easily get hold of whilst I am at university. It is easy to prepare and definitely a crowd pleaser, I've served it to everyone from friends at uni to friends' parents after a hard day at work. My seven year old twin cousins also enjoyed it, so I think it's an all-rounder. PS: Can be adapted and other vegetables can be added. Other variations I have made have included broccoli, purple broccoli and spinach.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 2  garlic cloves, crushed
• 1  large onion, finely chopped
• 2  carrots, finely chopped
• 2  celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1  cup celery leaves
• 3  cherry tomatoes, halved
• 100  g red lentils (or fagioli) or 100  g borlotti beans (or fagioli) or 100  g butter beans (or fagioli)
• 500  ml  vegetable stock (preferably non salty) or 500  ml  chicken stock (preferably non salty)
• 400  g chopped tomatoes (tinned or self-prepared)
• 1  tablespoon mixed herbs
•  salt (to taste)
•  pepper (to taste)

Directions

1. In a pot, place olive oil on a high heat, allow to heat up and then add the crushed garlic and the chopped onions. Turn to a medium heat. Stir until soft, but not brown. Add carrots, celery (NOT LEAVES!), lentils/beans and cherry tomatoes and stir in, allowing to absorb all the flavours.
2. After about 3-5 minutes stirring, allowing the flavours to blend together and the ingredients to soften slightly, add the vegetable stock.
3. I usually crush the stock cube, or sprinkle the stock powder over the vegetables and THEN add the water, but everybody will probably do this differently.
4. Stir again and place a lid over the pot. Allow to simmer for 10-20 minutes.
5. Add tinned chop tomatoes. Stir, and allow to reduce with the lid removed for 5-10 minutes.
6. 10 minutes before serving, tear the celery leaves and stir them inches This will give a very pungent smell and will give the soup and exquisite taste.
7. Drizzle each portion with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil and serve with chunky fresh bread or croutons.
8. Buon appetito!