Traditional Minestrone

3/4 cup McKenzie's Italian Style Soup Mix, rinsed 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely diced 2 carrots, diced 1 celery stick, chopped 3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 piece bacon bone or smoked ribs 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 litre chicken stock 1 cup water 1 parmesan rind (optional) 1 bay leaf 1-2 sprigs thyme sprigs thyme 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 zucchini, diced 200g savoy cabbage, shredded To taste, McKenzie's Australian Natural Sea Salt Grinder To taste, McKenzie's Whole Black Peppercorn Grinder Grated parmesan, for serving

Step 1

Prepare soup mix according to on-pack preparation instructions and set aside.

Step 2

Heat the oil in a large pot and add onion, carrots, celery and garlic, cooking until onion is tender. Add bacon bone and tomato paste to pot. Cook for a further minute.

Step 3

Pour in the stock, water, Italian Soup Mix, parmesan rind and herbs. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes.

Step 4

Add tomatoes, zucchini and cabbage. Cook for a further 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season to taste and accompany with parmesan to serve.

Substitute bacon bones with ham hock. Shred the meat from the bone before adding to the soup.
Try adding covolo nero in place of cabbage or add green beans for extra vegetables