Loaded with vegetables and plant powered fibre, my next twist on Jamie Oliver’s “10 recipes to save your life” is a Mexican Minestrone. It may be a soup, but trust me this is no starter!
As part of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, I was one of 10 people selected world-wide to put my spin on 10 of Jamie’s favourite staple recipes. This is #7, my twist on Jamie’s ‘Minestrone’
Health benefits
The massive variety of seasonal vegetables combined with black beans is enough to make this Mexican Minestrone a very healthy, fibre loaded meal. If you use a homemade bone broth for the stock, then you are going to derive even more nutrition from this minestrone. For more about the healing powers of bone broth, see here.
Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit many specific dietary requirements.
Mexican Minestrone
Ingredients
- 2 onions -diced
- 2 sticks celery -finely sliced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 drops tabasco -to taste (optional)
- Pinch sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic -finely diced
- 2 large carrots -finely diced
- 1 L stock or broth (chicken, beef or vegetable)
- 800g diced tinned tomatoes (2 cans)
- 1 zucchini -diced
- 1 red capsicum (red pepper), diced
- 2 can black beans -drained and rinsed
- 2 cups greens (spinach, kale, silver beet, chard) -whatever's in-season
- 1 handful fresh coriander leaves -to serve
Quick guacamole
- 1 large avocado
- 1 tbsp full-fat natural yoghurt
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper -to taste
- ½ small lime -juice
Method
- In a large pot, add a splash of olive oil and sweat the onion and celery over a medium heat, covered for 5 minutes or until starting to soften.
- Add the paprika, cumin and sea salt and stir for a few minutes until you smell the spices.
- Add the optional tabasco, garlic and carrots and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Now add the stock and tomatoes and bring to a slow simmer.
- Add the zucchini, capsicum and black beans and simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are just cooked. Taste and adjust the seasoning and spiciness.
- Make your guacamole by mashing your avocado and mixing through the yogurt, seasoning and lime juice.
- Lastly add the greens and cook until they are just wilted (only a few minutes).
- Serve immediately topped with a dollop of guacamole and fresh coriander leaves.
Store
- Store soup in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
- Store guacomole in an airtight container (squueze over extra lime juice) in the fridge.
Ali says
This was so easy to make and a hit with the whole family – even though they usually aren’t too happy when I try to make meat free dishes. Will definitely be making more this winter.
Georgia Harding says
Oh yay, my meat loving family are hard to please with meat-free meals too. Glad they enjoyed it Ali and thanks for the 5🌟 rating G x