Hearty Beef Minestrone Soup

(contributed by Shteppi)
I love this soup as it is so hearty and packed with vegetables and other good foods! It’s an all-in-one-meal, perfect for those winter days. This is my modified version of a recipe from a Campbell’s Real Stock packet.

(Serves 4)
1 Tbsp oil
250g beef mince
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup dry breadcrumbs
2 rashers bacon, diced
2 Tbsp no added salt tomato paste
1 Litre Campbell’s Real Stock – Salt Reduced Beef
2 sticks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 zucchinis, diced
1 cup of cooked small shell pasta
400g borlotti or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper, to taste
Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Combine mince, garlic, breadcrumbs and egg in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Roll into small balls.

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook bacon until quite crisp. Remove from heat and set aside for the moment. If needed, add more oil to the pan, and cook meatballs until browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.

In a large pot, add the stock and bring to the boil. Stir in tomato paste, potatoes, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes on medium-high heat. Add zucchini and cook for another 10 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked through.

Stir in the beans and cook until heated through. Add in the pasta, bacon and meatballs, and cook for a couple more minutes till these are heated through.

If desired, you can season the soup with a little salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes, I like to add in about a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce in order to add another layer of flavour. Serve the soup by itself, or with some bread.

Notes:
- If you don’t wish to make meatballs, you can also use diced beef. Just fry it up in a pan for a few minutes to seal each side – don’t worry if it’s not totally cooked through; you can just add it into the soup with enough time for it to cook through fully.
- If you don’t have tomato paste, you can also use ketchup or tomato sauce
- My personal preference is cannellini beans over borlotti, but you can also use other types of beans (e.g. kidney beans)