Minestrone

Ingredients
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 1/2 medium red pepper, diced
• 1/2 medium courgette, diced
• 1/2 medium butternut squash, diced
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage (or any other fresh herb)
• 1.5 tbsp ras el hanout
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika (or substitute with oregano, thyme, rosemary for a traditional flavor)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
• 200ml passata
• 800ml vegetable stock
• 200g small pasta shells

• Grated cheese
  Serving suggestions: cashew parm, crispy chickpeas, olive oil, lots of black pepper, fresh herbs, chilli

Method
If using squash, I prefer to roast it to enhance the flavour. Preheat your oven to 200c, dice small and roast for 25 min. If you're serving with crispy chickpeas, pop these into roast too.
Dice all your veg up small, mince your garlic Cover the bottom of a Dutch oven in olive oil. Add the harder veg (onion, carrot, any root veg) and sauté for 8 mins on a medium heat with a pinch of salt. Add the rest of the veg, a little more salt and fry 5 mins more.
Add the garlic and fresh herbs. Fry 3 mins more, then add the dried spices and fry those off until aromatic.
Add a little more olive oil if needed. Add the tomato paste and make sure everything is covered well. Then add the tin of plum tomatoes, breaking them up with your spatula. Add the stock, passata & bring everything to the boil, then add the dry pasta.
After 4/5 min, add the roasted veg, chickpeas, and season to taste. Serve with fresh parsley, olive oil, cashew parm, black pepper and the crispy chickpeas.
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