- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 sweet potato
- 200g purple sprouting broccoli
- 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp tofu basil pesto
- 75g gnocchetti
- 600ml boiling water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Measuring jug
- Large pan with lid
- Baking tray (optional)
- 1.
Fill the kettle and boil it. Crumble the stock cube into a jug and pour over 600ml boiling water. Stir to dissolve it. Set to one side.
- 2.
Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Peel the sweet potato and chop it into small 1cm-thick cubes. Place a large pan on the heat for 2 mins. Pour in 1 tbsp olive oil, then add the onion and sweet potato. Cook for 5 mins, stirring occasionally, tlll glossy. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 min.
- 3.
While the onion fries, trim the dry ends from the broccoli and chop the stalks into 1cm-long pieces, leaving the heads of the broccoli whole.
- 4.
Add the gnochetti pasta to the pan and stir together. Pour in the stock and simmer for 5 mins with the lid on (or use a baking tray if you don't have a lid).
- 5.
Meanwhile, zest and juice the lemon. When the soup has simmered for 5 mins, add the chopped broccoli stalks and simmer for a further 4 mins - but don't put the lid on the pan. This helps the broccoli stay green (putting the lid on turns green veg a little grey).
- 6.
After 4 mins, add the broccoli heads, lemon zest and juice with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 2 mins. Check the pasta and sweet potato are cooked - they should be tender. Simmer for a few more mins if you need to.
- 7.
Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Ladle the soup into a couple of warm bowls. Drizzle 1 tbsp pesto over each bowl and serve.
- Tip
You're The Pesto
Leftover pesto will keep, in the jar, for a few days stored in the fridge, the simplest way to use it up is to stir it into cooked pasta, but it's also delicious made into a salad dressing for potatoes with a squeeze of lemon juice and a spoonful of olive oil, used to top baked potatoes or spread into sandwiches. - Tip
Eat & Keep
This soup will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. the pasta will absorb the stock will it chills, so when you reheat it you will need to add a splash more water to get that soupy consistency back.