marathon minestrone

Image from BBC Good Food.  I did take a picture of mine but it came out all blurry!!

This soup has been on the menu at least once a week since I started training for the London Marathon a mere 8 weeks ago.  Packed full of beans, pasta and fresh vegetables, it's absolutely delicious and a great choice for dinner the night before a race or a long run.  I hope you enjoy it!

Marathon Minestrone


You need:

Olive oil (or other joint loving oil of your choice - flaxseed is meant to be good)
2 leeks, washed and sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed (or zoomed as per my video)
2 medium courgettes (zucchini) or 1 big one, diced
4 carrots, diced (use as many as you like, really)
4 sticks celery, sliced

This is my favourite vegetable combination but use whatever vegetables you like - onion, peppers, mushrooms, cabbage, kale, and even pumpkin could work.

First of all, put a big fat glug of the olive oil into the stockpot and put on the heat.

Add the leeks and garlic first, and then the other vegetables as they are chopped and ready.  Add a bit of water if it sticks.

Saute the vegetables for a few minutes.

Fill up your kettle with water and put it on to boil.

Next:

1 425g can borlotti beans, drained
1 425g can cannellini beans drained
About half a 500g packet of wholegrain penne pasta
1 box of chopped tomatoes (400g)
1/2 a tub pesto (approximately 3 tablespoons)

Add these to the vegetables and stir around evenly.

Add two or three dessertspoons of Marigold vegetable stock powder, a bit of salt and pepper, and then pour in (carefully!) the boiling water from the kettle until everything is covered (the pasta will absorb some of the water).  You'll need about 1.75 - 2 litres of water.

Stir everything well, make sure the powder has dissolved, and bring it to the boil (or bubbling steadily) and then turn down the heat to low, stir again, cover and come back in 15 or 20 minutes to check it, as it might need a bit more water (the pasta absorbs the liquid).  Add more water, depending on how thick you like your soup.

Once the pasta is cooked, the soup is ready!  This usually takes about 30 minutes.

To serve, taste for seasoning, and then you can add fresh basil, another little drizzle of olive oil or, my favourite, a little sprinkling of your favourite cheese on top (Sainsbury's do a vegetarian Parmesan which is delicious - it's their own brand 'Italian Hard Cheese').

This makes enough for 6 people - I usually make a vat of it and we either take it for lunch the next day, or freeze to eat later in the week. Either way, it's absolutely delicious and there's nothing better than this soup on a chilly night!

To see me cooking it on video (!) go to Lucozade Sport's Facebook page where you'll see me chopping and stirring like nobody's business :)