Let them eat soup!

I came up with a new recipe for Minnestrone soup last week... it makes a LOT of soup (think one dutch oven filled to the lid!) and yet we still managed to polish it off before having to freeze any leftovers to keep them from spoiling. Success, in my book. Enjoy!

Ashley's Minnestrone

1/2 lb medium pasta shells

2 T olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1 C chopped carrots (about 3 large carrots)

1-2 C chopped celery (about 4 stalks)

1 can white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans italian stewed tomatoes (with juices)

1 can tomato sauce

4 C chicken broth

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1 t dried sage

1 t dried thyme

2 C fresh chopped spinach

1 zucchini, diced

1 can green beans, drained

Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Cook pasta shells according to box directions; drain, pour into an airtight container, and toss with small amount of olive oil to keep shells from sticking together. Set aside.

In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil and saute onion, carrots and celery for about 10 minutes until onions are translucent. Add white and red beans and stewed tomatoes, breaking apart with a wooden spoon. Add tomato sauce, broth, salt, pepper, sage and thyme. Bring to a boil and let simmer 10-15 minutes. Add spinach, zucchini and green beans and continue to simmer until zucchini is tender.

To serve: scoop a few spoonfuls of cooked pasta shells into the bottom of each bowl. Ladle soup over shells, and stir to combine. Top with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese and serve immediately.

*I like to keep the pasta separate from the soup, even after the soup is done cooking. The shells seem to absorb the soup broth over time, expanding and getting soggy. Storing the shells and soup separately lengthens the shelf life of your leftovers!