Phil Vickery's Tuscan bean soup

Despite warnings, less than a third of us are regularly getting our five a day.

Phil Vickery is here to prove eating healthily doesn’t have to be difficult, as he makes his veggie-packed Tuscan bean soup.

Tuscan bean soup - ribollita

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 20-25 minutes

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients

2 x 400g cans cannellini beans, drained

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

Pinch chilli flakes

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

4 small ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

4 sticks celery, finely chopped

1 medium leek washed well and finely chopped

1 vegetable stock cube

2 tsp fresh thyme, picked

3 sprigs rosemary (leave whole and remove once cooked)

1 small Savoy cabbage finely shredded

200g Cavelo Nero, finely shredded (optional)

Ground pepper

Ciabatta bread, cut into long slices

Extra virgin olive oil, good quality

2 fresh garlic cloves, peeled

Method

• Place one can of beans into a food processor and blitz till you have a nice puree

• Heat the olive oil and cook the onions, chilli and garlic for 3-4 minutes to soften

• Next add tomato paste and fresh tomatoes mix well and break down a little

• Next add the carrots, celery, leek, thyme, rosemary, pureed beans and enough water to cover by say 2cm

• Bring to the boil add the stock cube and then simmer for 10 minutes, until the carrots are just cooked, then add the cabbage, Cavalo (if using) and other can of beans, then for 10 minutes to just cook the cabbage. The soup should be packed with vegetables and beans, the wooden spoon should almost stand up alone!!

• Season with pepper and remove rosemary stalks

• To serve, serve in deep bowls, and a little crisp bread, rubbed with a little fresh garlic

I also add a dash of good quality extra virgin oil to the top of the soup when serving.