Minestrone Soup

Too hot outside for soup? Nah. Since we started this blog in May you all may not have yet realized my obsession with soup. I love soup and luckily the fam does too! Come the first sign of Fall weather get ready for some yummy soup recipes. Tonight I called upon my 3 year old son for a dinner idea and he requested "Basil soup". He is a budding chef of sorts and loves to learn about food and cooking. He loves to pick and sample basil and rosemary from our garden. So here is what we had...it's basil soup...well kind of.
Recipe:
Ingredients: (serves 6-8)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
2 cups water
1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 cup Cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup broccoli or zucchini, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup small pasta
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, julienned
1 Tablespoon fresh Oregano, chopped
1 (15oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
Parmesan Cheese for garnish

1. The KEY to great soup is starting out with big flavor, start by creating a "sweat" add the diced onion and garlic to the oil in a soup pot over medium heat, saute until onions are soft and translucent.

2. Add broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian Seasoning and vegetables, bring to a simmer ~5 minutes until vegetables softened slightly.

3. Turn up the heat and add your pasta, letting the pasta cook in the bubbling soup to absorb all it's flavors. Allow to bubble until pasta is cooked al dente ~8-10 minutes or per pasta package instructions.

4. Lower heat to low, add beans and spinach, stir to combine. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. We also added some leftover Croutons or you could serve with warm crusty bread.