here is a gift since I havent posten in a while! AWESOME minestrone soup!

Minestrone Soup

Every body is a fan!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup minced white onions (about 1 small onion)
1/4 cup chopped zucchini
1/4 cup frozen cut italian green beans ( or regular frozen green beans with italian seasoning)
1/4 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)
2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
4 cups vegetable broth (Swanson is good *note: Do not use chicken broth!*)

1 (15 ounce)can red kidney beans , drained
1 (15 ounce)can small white beans or great northern beans , drained
1 /2 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup carrots , julienned or shredded
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 cups hot water
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1/3 cup small shell pasta ( We used whole wheat spiral pasta, whatever works. And we used probably about a 1 1/2 cups)

Directions

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.

Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.

Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.

Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.

Makes about eight 1 1/2 cup servings.

Number of Servings: 8

Ruth's Additions: We LOVED THIS!! I ADORED IT!! It is soo full of yummy healthy stuff and it is AWESOME! It is perfect for a snowy day and not that hard to make. TRY IT!! Infact, my mouth is watering thinking of having left overs for lunch!! Thanks TARA for the recipe! I LOVE IT!!! Keep the recipes coming! :)