More than a soup, this is a meal in a bowl – packed with vegetables and pasta, it’s filling, colourful, tasty and nutritious.

Each serving provides 318 kcal, 11g protein, 30g carbohydrate (of which 6.7g sugars), 15g fat (of which 2.3g saturates), 8.1g fibre and 1.7g salt.

Prepare

less than 30 mins

Cook

10 to 30 mins

Serve

4

Dietary

Healthy

Vegetarian

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 400g tin butter beans or black beans, rinsed and drained
• 200g/7oz passata
• 85g/3oz orzo
• 700ml/1¼ pints vegetable stock
• 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika
• 100g/3½oz kale or spinach, roughly chopped
• 4 tbsp pesto
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and fry for 5–6 minutes, until it is beginning to soften. Add the garlic and fry for 1–2 minutes.

Add the beans, passata, orzo, stock and paprika and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for around 10 minutes, or until the orzo is al dente.

Add the kale or spinach and a generous pinch of salt and pepper, and simmer for a few minutes.

Taste and add a little more salt and pepper if needed. Serve in bowls and top each with 1 tablespoon of pesto.

Recipe tips

Fresh pesto is great, but if you’re using pesto from a jar, you may need to stir in 1 teaspoon of olive oil to loosen the texture.