MINESTRONE SOUP

This is one of those soups that go together quickly, but taste like they’ve been simmering all day.  It’s great all year, but at the end of summer it welcomes what the garden has to offer.  Cannelloni beans and a little pasta—add crusty bread and maybe a tomato/mozzarella salad, and call this dinner.

• 1 cup small pasta—small shells, ditalini, elbows
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Small onion, 2 carrots and 3 stalks celery, all diced—small pieces
• 2-3 garlic cloves to taste, minced
• 1 zucchini or yellow squash, diced
• 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Paprika, a little rosemary, oregano, and dried thyme
• 15 oz can cannelloni beans, not drained or rinsed
• 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 5-6 cups vegetable broth, depending on desired thickness of soup
• Chopped parsley and/or basil
• Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Heat olive oil in large pot—add diced carrots, onions, and celery.  When vegetables start to soften, add garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute.  Add squash, green beans and all spices—cook and stir for another minute or two.  Now add the tomatoes and broth (and a little Parmesan rind, if you have it)—bring to simmer and partially cover, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.  Cook pasta in salted water until just past al dente—drain and set aside. It will cook a little more after you add it to the soup.  For a thicker soup, add the raw pasta to the soup when it starts to simmer.  When soup starts to smell really good (30-45 minutes), and it’s nearly the desired consistency, uncover the pot and add the beans, the pre-cooked pasta  and the chopped parsley/basil.  Bring back to a simmer and cook for about 5 more minutes.  Serve in flat bowls and pass the grated cheese.

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