Winter Cannellini Bean Soup

(as found on the back of the dried cannellini packet. I made it with most of the ingredients in the recipe, just not necessarily with the exact ratios!)

Serves 6-8

1 tbsp Olive Oil
4 Shallots, diced (I used onions)
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
3 Celery sticks, sliced
2 Leeks, sliced
140g Streaky bacon, diced
1 1/2 litres Stock (I used some I'd made as per earlier post)
2 Bay leaves
2 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Flesh parsley, roughly chopped (I didn't have this)
500g Cannellini beans
Salt and Pepper to taste (I didn't use any)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the shallots, garlic, celery, leeks and bacon. Cook over a medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned.

2. Pour in the stock, add the bay leaves (I didn't have any!) and oregano and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and simmer gently for 15 minutes, add the cannellini beans, cover and simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the beans are heated through.

3. Stir in the parsley and serve immediately.

This soup is yummy. I used less beans and less stock, cos that's what I had, but I think it tastes great. I used dried beans that I'd previously soaked and boiled, but you could use tinned beans instead.