Ingredients

• splash olive oil
• 200g/7oz streaky bacon or lean back-bacon
• rind removed
• finely chopped
• 2 large carrots
• peeled and roughly chopped
• 6 celery stalks
• trimmed and roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves
• thinly sliced
• 2 onions
• roughly chopped
• 2 potatoes
• such as Maris Peer potatoes
• roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 bouquet garni
• 0.75 litres/1½ pints reduced-salt vegetable stock
• 3 courgettes
• trimmed and roughly chopped
• 1 large handful soup pasta
• 1 handful fresh flatleaf parsley
• leaves finely chopped
• 100g/3½oz Parmesan
• finely grated

Directions

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes
• or until cooked and starting to brown.
• Add the carrots
• celery
• garlic and onions and fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the potatoes and fry for 4-5 minutes
• stirring occasionally
• until softened.
• Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute
• then add the tomatoes
• bouquet garni and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat
• then simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Add the courgettes and soup pasta and return to the boil. Reduce the heat
• cover the pan with the lid
• then simmer for 5-8 minutes
• or until the pasta is tender. Discard the bouquet garni.
• To serve
• ladle the soup into bowls
• then sprinkle over the parsley and Parmesan.