Minestrone Soup

I got this recipe off of ourbestbites.com and though it was terrific. I, however, did add sausage from our pig, which gave it awesome flavor. As Melly pointed out, though, it is no longer minestrone soup if it has meat in it, which is stupid and lame, so you can call it whatever you want. Jared and I both gave this a 9. My revisions are in bold.


Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small/medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1-2 stalks celery, diced
1 small zucchini
4-5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup frozen french cut green beans
2 15-ounce cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed I didn't add these because I don't love kidney beans
2 15-ounce cans white beans like Great Northern or Canalini
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
32 ounces vegetable broth (that’s 4 cups)
3 cups hot water
1/2 cup ditalini or other small shell pasta
4 cups loosely packed fresh spinach leaves
2-3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley I used dried parsley
1 yellow squash
pork sausage
Fresh Parmesan on top

Instructions:
Heat a large stock pot to medium high heat.  Add olive oil to coat bottom of pan.  Add onions, carrot, and celery.  Saute 4-5 minutes, until onions start to look translucent.  Add zucchini and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes longer, stirring until garlic is fragrant.  Add green beans, kidney and white beans, tomatoes, and seasonings and stir to combine.  Add broth and water and bring soup to a simmer.  Cover pot and simmer on low for 20-25 minutes, until carrots and celery are tender.  Add pasta and cook until pasta is soft, 8-10 minutes.  (Add additional vegetable broth or water if you feel you need it for preferred consistency.)  Remove pot from heat and stir in spinach and parsley.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.