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SERVES:
6-8

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni


• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced


• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced


• 2-3 minced cloves garlic


• 1 medium yellow squash, diced


• 1 medium zucchini, diced


• Olive oil for sauteing veggies


• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (plus water or pasta water as needed)


• 1 1/2 cups partially cooked green beans (frozen or home blanched)


• 2 medium tomatoes, diced


• 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed


• Salt and pepper to taste


• Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish


• Basil pesto for garnish (optional)

PROCEDURE:

Get a pot of water going for eventually cooking about 1/2 box macaroni and add a splash of olive oil to another large pot on medium high heat and add 1 medium, diced onion and 2 peeled and diced carrots and get those going.

Once they have softened up quite a bit, add 2-3 minced cloves of garlic and 1 medium sized, deseeded and diced zucchini and 1 medium deseeded and diced yellow squash.

Add the half box of elbow macaroni to the boiling water and, just as the squash starts to soften up, add 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock and bring it up to a simmer.

Let that gently simmer along for 4-5 minutes and then add about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of bite size, partially cooked green beans and 2 diced ripe tomatoes and 1 well drained and rinsed 15-ounce can of kidney beans.

Stir those in and, if it seems a little too thick, strain a little of the pasta water into it before draining the cooked pasta.

Season the soup to taste and then put some of the hot drained pasta in a bowl and ladle the minestrone over the top. Finish with grated parmesan cheese

HINTS:

Finishing with a dollop of basil pesto in each bowl is great flavor booster. Reseed the squashes before dicing if the centers seem soft and seedy.