Minestrone Soup

Served with: fancy salad and leftover pasta.

Best parts: The celery in the soup was really good... and we put fancy celery sticks on as a garnish so people could stir the soup. And if you put a garbanzo bean in a pasta shell it kinda looks like an eyeball, but don't worry because it's not.

Would have been better if: Maybe take out the green peppers.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans

1/2 cup dry pasta

1 cup fresh chopped tomatoes

parmesan cheese

3 Tbs olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

5 cloves garlic

1 cup minced celery

1 cup cubed carrot

1 cup cubed zucchini

1 cup chopped green pepper

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp oregano

1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp basil

2 cups tomato purée

3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

3 Tbs red wine

Directions: 

1. Sauté garlic and onions in olive oil.

2. Add 1 tsp. salt, carrot and celery and mix well.

3. Add oregano, black pepper and basil.

4. Cover and cook on low 5-8 min.

5. Add green pepper, stock, purée, cooked beans and wine.

6. Cover and simmer 15 min.

7. Add tomatoes and remaining salt.

8. Keep at lowest heat until 10 min before serving.

9. Then, heat soup to boil and add pasta.

10. Serve topped with parsley and parmesan.