Minestrone Soup

You are in luck! Today is homemade soup day! I love soup all year round - even in the summer. In college my roommates thought I was crazy eating soup in August. But it's delicious!
This is a simple Minestrone soup recipe. I didn't do a step by step because basically you dump, stir, dump. Simple enough right?

 

Minestrone Soup

3 carrots

3 celery stalks

1 small onion

olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

2 cans diced tomatoes

1-2 cans kidney beans

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 lb cooked pasta

1/3 cup chopped parsley (reserve 1 Tbsp for garnish)
Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Chop carrots, celery, and onion into a small dice (The smaller you dice, the faster they cook). Saute in large stock pot with a little olive oil over medium high heat until vegetables are soften. Add garlic and red pepper flakes (if you so desire) and saute for another 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes (don't drain them), beans (drain and rinse these), and chicken stock. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add pasta and parsley. Serve. Garnish with a little fresh parsley and Parmesan. Serves 6.

Tips:

You can make this a day ahead - gets better with time.
Don't like kidney beans, substitute cannallini beans. (I just like the color of kidney)
Use any shape of pasta - Orecchiette or small shells is what I usually see, but we had bow tie in our house. Use what your family will eat.
I cut my vegetables pretty small and was willing to eat them slightly firm. My soup was ready in 20 minutes! Beat that Rachael Ray! :)