Serves 4
For the pistou:
Small bunch of fresh parsley
1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1 garlic clove, peeled
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp lemon zest
150ml olive oil
1 tbsp Parmesan, finely grated
For the soup:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
Salt and black pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
350-500g cooked ham, shredded
1.5L chicken stock
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
Rind from 1 block of Parmesan (optional)
2 x 400g tins of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- For the pistou, combine the parsley, pine nuts, garlic, salt, lemon zest and oil in a blender or food processor and whizz until combined but still a little chunky. Stir in the Parmesan. Set aside until ready to serve.
- For the soup, heat the oil in a large pot or casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery, season with salt and pepper and cook for 6-7 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
- Add the ham and cook for two minutes, then pour in the stock. Add the thyme, parsley, bay leaf and Parmesan rind, if using. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the beans and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and Parmesan rind, then season to taste.
- Ladle into serving bowls and top each portion with a generous swirl of the pistou. Serve with chunks of baguette.
Per serving: 474kcals, 33.1g fat (6.9g saturated), 23.4g carbs (4g sugars), 25.1g protein, 6.5g fibre, 3.002g sodium
Top tip: If you have a ham bone left over, you can use it to make a homemade stock for this soup. Place the bone in a pot and add enough water to come around halfway up the bone. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 1-11⁄2 hours until aromatic. Discard the bone and replace the chicken stock in this recipe with the homemade stock.