Versatile Vegetable Soup

This is such an easy and filling soup. You can use sweet potato instead of pumpkin, and add frozen mixed vegetables instead of the tin of sweetcorn. The recipe is easily adjusted to feed more or less people and is great to take in a flask as a warming packed lunch when the weather is cold.

1 Tblsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

650g butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled and diced

1 red or yellow pepper, diced

750ml (3 cups) reduced-salt vegetable stock

750ml (3 cups) water

1 cup brown lentils, rinsed

1 x 420g can four bean mix, drained and rinsed

1 x 270g can sweetcorn kernels, drained

hadful of thin spaghetti or other dried pasta, broken into pieces

1 cup/handful baby spinach

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, garlic, pumpkin/butternuet squash and red or yellow pepper then cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally for 2 - 3 minutes.

Pour in the vegetable stock and water before adding the small pieces of pasta, lentils, 4 bean mix and sweetcorn.  Bring everything to the boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir through spinach and allow it to wilt before you serve the soup with a slice of crusty wholegrain bread or a bread roll.