Nothing beats coming home to a thick, rich bacon minestrone soup. Laden with wintery vegetables and free range bacon hocks, the slow cooker makes this a gorgeous midweek meal. Flexible enough to change with the seasons, it makes the best use of what’s available at the markets. Our house is attempting Plastic Free July, so we headed to the markets on the weekend and picked up beautiful organic leeks, pumpkin and yellow carrots. This is reflective of the winter vegetables that are available at the moment. Use whatever is freshest and best on hand. To add protein and make the meal more substantial, I add a handful of cannelini beans. Dried ones that have been soaked overnight go straight into the slow cooker. Otherwise stirring through half a can of cannelini beans a wee bit before serving can also do the trick.
Bacon hocks are plentiful at this time of year, but as always buy the very best you can afford. I adore Westmere Butchery’s tea tree smoked bacon hocks and at $7 each, they’re a bargain worth buying. The hock adds a deep, luscious flavour to this bacon minestrone. I used my powdered vegetarian stock, using the bacon hock to add a smokey hammy flavour full of healthy goodness.
Bone broth like this, is an excellent source of anti-inflammatory amino acids; a fabulous addition to anyones winter diet. Gelatine breaks down to collagen in the body, which is great for joints and fighting off osteoporosis. So if you’re not a vegetarian, adding bone broth into your diet can only be a benefit, especially in the winter months.
For those of you who don’t have a slow cooker, this soup can be made on a stove top. It’ll take two hours simmering away at a gentle bubble; be sure to skim the foam off the top as it cooks. This soup is perfect the next day, making a great cheap and healthy office lunch. Make a double batch and freeze in portions for easy grab-and-go lunches.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1x free range bacon hock
- 5x garlic cloves, squashed
- 1x red onion, sliced
- 1x leek, sliced
- 1x carrot, sliced
- 1/4 pumpkin, diced
- 100gm cherry tomatoes
- 2x sprigs rosemary
- 2x sprigs fresh thyme
- 1.5 litres good quality vegetable stock
- 1x can tomatoes, chopped
Instructions
In a frying pan, heat the olive oil. Brown the outside of the bacon hock until golden. Add the squashed garlic cloves and sliced red onion and gently cook until slightly translucent. In the slow cooker, scatter the leek, carrot, pumpkin and cherry tomatoes. Lay the bacon hock on top with the garlic and red onion added as well. Scatter the fresh rosemary and thyme around the edges. Pour over the stock and stir through a can of chopped tomatoes.
Turn on low and leave for 8 to 10 hours. Remove the skin and bones of the bacon hock and remaining sticks from the fresh herbs. Pull the bacon hock meat into pieces and stir through the soup. Serve with cheesy breads to dip and drag through.
