As the temperatures start to drop, there's nothing quite as comforting as a steaming bowl of homemade soup.

Delivering a heartwarming punch, packed with nutritious veggies, Jamie Oliver's take on the classic minestrone is 'wholesome, hearty and flexible"

Easy adaptable, this soup is the perfect excuse to use whatever you’ve got in your fridge.

A family favourite in the Oliver house, the chef said: "We make it every month and all the kids love it – it’s one of the dishes where they always go in for seconds."

The soup, brimming with nutrients including 6.9 grams of protein and just 148 calories per serving, is conveniently ready in under just half an hour, making it a great choice for chilly autumn evenings.

The celebrity chef encourages cooks to take pleasure in never being wasteful.

For this recipe, he said: "This soup is great for using up odds and ends from your dried pasta packets. Pile whatever you’ve got in a clean tea towel, then give it a good bash so it’s all about the same size."

Serve with fresh crusty bread and a little sprinkling of Parmesan for a truly tasty dinner.

Method

Peel and finely chop the garlic and onion. Put a large shallow casserole pan on a medium-high heat with one tablespoon of olive oil.

Add the garlic and the bay leaves, followed by the onions.

Trim and chop the carrots and celery into rough one cm dice, adding to the pan as you go. Remove and finely chop any tough stalks from your greens and add to the pan. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring regularly, or until softened and caramelised.

Crumble in the stock cube, pour in the tinned tomatoes, breaking them up with your spoon, then add one tin’s worth of water. Pour in the beans, juice and all, then add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.

Shred your greens and sprinkle into the pan, top up with 600ml of boiling kettle water, then add the pasta. Cover and leave to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pasta is just cooked and the soup has thickened to your liking.

Season the soup to perfection, then serve it with a grating of parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.