Tomato, red pepper & pasta soup

The inspiration for this recipe was my kids, as neither are particularly keen on soup, so I thought I would try and come up with one that they might eat. Using pasta and tomatoes seemed like a good starting point - as show me a kid that doesn’t eat that combination?? I’ve added some veggies, kept it pretty simple, but with a sneaky tin of chickpeas to make it more interesting for me. Obvs the kids will probably pick them out, but you never know, the odd one might get past their strict filtering systems! You can always leave them out if you prefer, but they’re a decent source of protein.

It took me just over 30 minutes to make, so it’s quick to get on the table, or a good one to make in a batch for lunches over a few days. I also think this soup is a nice one to have for dinner as the pasta makes it quite hearty and you could serve it with big wedges of fresh bread or cheese on toast. Who’s going to complain about that?!

And one last thing - the soup is vegan if you leave off the cheese or sub for a vegan variety.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 1 red onion, chipped finely

• 1 stick of celery, chopped finely

• 1 clove garlic, grated

• 1 red pepper, sliced

• 2 x 400g tinned tomatoes, 1.5 tins of water

• ½ vegetable stock cube

• Handful of parsley, stalks chopped finely, leaves reserved

• 100g small pasta

• 1 x 400g tinned chickpeas

• ¾ tsp sea salt

• ½ tbsp red wine vinegar

• Handful grated parmesan, cheddar, gruyere or parmesan, optional

Method

• Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onions and celery for 10 minutes.

• Next add the garlic and red pepper, cooking for a further 5 minutes.

• Pour in the tomatoes, plus 1 ½ tins of water, the stock cube, parsley stalks and pasta.

• Simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes and then add the drained chickpeas.

• Cook for a further 10 minutes and then add the salt and red wine vinegar. Simmer for another couple of minutes.

• Stir in half the parsley leaves and sprinkle the rest on top along with the parmesan to serve.

• Serve with cheese on toast, toasted sourdough or fresh bread and butter.