I found this recipe in an old edition of the Observer food magazine, and I’ve been living off it for the past two days. So incredibly quick to fling together, it’s great comfort food while still being light enough for these lovely summer days. I varied it a little by adding some fresh chopped chilli once the pancetta had been fried, and putting a little Marigold stock in the water. Streaky rashers are an ok substitute for pancetta; I got a decent packet for €2.25 in Avoca on Suffolk St.

Quick and Cheap Tomato and Pasta Soup

Ingredients

• Pancetta – 175g
• Olive oil
• 2 small cloves of garlic
• 2 cans of 400g chopped tomatoes – 2 x 400g cans
• 200ml vegetable stock
• 40g chickpeas
• 250g spaghetti
• A small bunch of parsley
• 1 finely chopped red chilli (optional)
• Extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Instructions

• Chop the pancetta into small pieces, fry for a minute or 2 in some olive oil, until the the pancetta starts to turn golden.
• Add the crushed garlic and the (optional) chilli to the pan, fry for just one minute, stirring constantly
• Add the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock, and the canned chickpeas, bring to the boil.
• Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti: break it into short lengths and plunge into boiling salted water until tender but still a little al dente.
• Chop the parsley, add to the soup along with the spaghetti, and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if you have it.

Related posts:

1. Wednesday Wind-down: Quick and Easy Pasta with Roasted Peppers
2. Wednesday Wind-down: Pasta with Roasted Vegetable Sauce
3. Wind-Down Wednesday: Spaghetti Carbonara