Spicy Chickpea Minestrone

Start by making the spicy chickpea base. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Place a saucepan over a medium-high heat and add a tbsp of olive oil. Poke the cherry tomatoes with the tip of a knife, this will encourage them to pop!

Add the sliced garlic and cherry tomatoes to the pan and stir for 1 min, they should start to burst. Add the harissa paste and the can of cherry tomatoes. Bubble on a medium heat for 15 - 20 mins.

Throw in the whole jars (or tins) of chickpeas along with their liquid. Add the stock cube and turn up the heat to high. Use a potato masher or fork to crush the mix a bit- this will help thicken the sauce a little. Simmer for 5-10 mins until nicely warmed through, then add the juice of half the lemon and season to taste.

Optional: if you're batch cooking the spicy chickpea base for the week, portion some out now into Tupperware containers.

For the soup, add the water to the spicy chickpea base then bring to the boil. Add the macaroni and cok for 7 mins, then add the kale and cook for 3 mins further, until the pasta is cooked. Taste and season with salt and pepper, add an extra stock cube if it needs it. You may need to add extra water to loosen it to a soup.

Spoon into bowls and top with grated Parmesan. Serve with toasted bread.