Fresh Minestrone Soup with Bacon and Conchiglioni

Ingredients

1. Peel/finely chop the onion and garlic.
2. Remove core/dice the pepper into 1cm cubes.
3. Chop the celery/courgette into 1cm pieces.
4. Cut the bacon into 1cm strips.
5. Roughly chop the cavolo nero.
6. Remove the thyme leaves from the sprig.
7. Drain/rinse the cannellini beans in a sieve.

1. Boil 300ml of water in a small pot with the stock pot and stir to dissolve.
2. Heat ½ a tsp of oil in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until golden and crispy around the edges.
3. Add the onion, garlic, celery, pepper with the thyme leaves and cook for 3 minutes until the vegetables have softened. Add the courgettes and continue to cook for a minute.
4. Add the tinned tomatoes, boiling stock, calvo nero, the bay leaf and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, lower heat to medium-low and cook for 3 minutes before adding the pasta and continue to cook for about 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the pasta al dente.
5. Once the vegetables/pasta is cooked, add the cannellini beans and cook for a final minute.
6. Serve in a bowl.