Sandee's Minestrone Soup

By LyndaD

Hearty and soothing minestrone soup topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Add some chopped cooked chicken to make it a meal in itself. Delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tomatoes, finely chopped or 1 (15-ounce) can cut up tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons parsley, snipped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• Salt, to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 32 ounces low sodium fat free beef broth
• 2 cups desired vegetables such as sliced green beans, cubed potatoes, chopped broccoli, sliced carrots and/or sliced zucchini
• 3/4 cup or 1 can white kidney beans (great northern)
• 1/2 cup thin spaghetti, broken
• Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste

Preparation

Step 1

In a large Dutch oven cook onion, celery and garlic in olive oil until onion is tender. Add tomatoes, parsley, basil, oregano, pepper, salt, bay leaf and beef broth. Fresh green beans would be added now so they will be tender. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 50 minutes.

Add remaining desired vegetables except zucchini. Add more salt if needed. Simmer covered until veggies are done. Add spaghetti, zucchini and canned beans. Cook 15 minutes more or until spaghetti is done. Remove bay leaf. Sprinkle grated cheese over each serving.