Minestrone

Minestrone is a classic Italian soup with mild spices, tomatoes, vegetables, beans, pasta, and finally, as always, a spattering of parmesan cheese. I like making such hardy and healthy soups that contain all the vitamins (from the veggies), some carbohydrate (from the pasta),  protein (from the beans), and some fat (from the cheese) all in one single bowl of flavorful soup. Easy to prepare and easy to gulp, not to mention coming home to some healthy and hardy soup.

I prepare a big pot of soup every now and then with some variations in spice and veggies. 

Ingredients (results in a huge pot of soup; about 8 servings)

1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
2. 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
3. 6 cloves of garlic, minced
4. 1.5 - 2 teaspoons salt
5. 2 celery stalks, diced
6. 2 carrots, peeled and diced
7. 1 zucchini, diced
8. 1 small eggplant, diced
9. 1 bell-pepper/capsicum, diced
10. 6 ounces of tomato paste (1 can of Hunts')
11. 2 tomatoes, diced
12. 6-7 cups of water / vegetable broth)
13. 2 cups cooked chickpeas / garbanzo beans (or white cannellini beans)
14. 1 cup uncooked pasta (any kind of pasta)
15. 2 teaspoons crushed oregano / omam seeds
16. 2 teaspoons cumin powder
17. 3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
18. 1 tablespoon thyme (remove leaves from the stem)
19. 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
20. 1/4 cup Italian basil, chopped
21. some parmesan cheese, grated (up to 1/2 cup)

Preparation:

1. Heat the olive oil in  big sauce-pan or dutch-oven. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Next, add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds. 
2. Add the celery, carrot and eggplant and saute with salt. Let the vegetables cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. 
3. Then, add freshly ground pepper, cumin powder and crushed oregano and stir well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat stirring now and then. 
4. Add the tomato paste and stir it well with the veggies. Then, throw in the bell-pepper, zucchini and stir well. Dilute the veggies with about 6 cups of water. Stir well, add thyme, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until the veggies are almost cooked. Add more water if needed.
5. Next, add the cooked chickpeas and the pasta. Cover and cook for 12 minutes or so until the pasta is al dente. 
6. Finally stir in the tomatoes, parsley and basil. Reduce to heat and let everything simmer for 5 minutes. Check for seasonings and consistency and adjust accordingly by adding more spices or water. 

Remove from heat, ladle into bowls and serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and bread on the side. The warm flavors of cumin and oregano go very well on a cold evening.