30/08/2026
When Phoebe hiked the Camino Trail, she came across many beautiful seasonal dishes such as this. It’s a gorgeous taste of the Mediterranean!
Ingredients For the Soup:
A couple of tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion/leek and/or a few garlic cloves
1 jar, or tin, of beans or lentils including their liquid
2 handfuls of pasta (any small shapes work well, or broken spaghetti or lasagne)
1 diced potato
1 stock cube plus 750ml water, or 750ml homemade stock (recipe below)
2 big handfuls of greens — kale, courgette, cavolo nero or just lots of leek if that’s all you have
Parmesan, fresh green herbs and a squeeze of lemon to serve (if you have them)
For the Stock:
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 bulb of garlic, cut across the middle (no need to peel)
1 carrot, roughly chopped
A few sticks of celery, roughly chopped
10 peppercorns
2–3 parmesan rinds
A handful of mixed aromatics: parsley stalks, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, etc.
A good few pinches of salt
Anything else that needs using up: broccoli stalks, peelings, etc.
Fresh vegetables and aromatics for homemade vegetable stock
Method:
Make the stock. Put all the ingredients into a large pot and cover with 2 litres of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for an hour. Leave to cool and strain. If you want a clearer stock, sieve through a tea towel, but I tend not to bother.
For the soup, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Finely slice the onion or leek (wash the leek well if using) and fry over a low heat until starting to soften. Slice the garlic thinly and add to the pan; continue cooking until the alliums are soft and jammy. Add the rest of the ingredients, bar the greens, and simmer on a low heat until the potato and pasta are al dente. Finely shred or slice your greens, add them to the pot and put the lid on — this will help everything cook evenly. Add more stock at this point if you prefer a thinner broth.
Check the seasoning and put the lid on — this will help everything cook evenly. Add more stock at this point if you prefer a thinner broth.
Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Spoon into a deep bowl and top with finely grated parmesan, chopped herbs and a squeeze of lemon. Enjoy!
