Hearty Minestrone Soup

This was very good and hearty. The friend, Stacy that shared this added 1 lb of Italian sausage and sauteed with the onion; I had intended to do the same, but forgot to get it so I used 1 lb Neese's hot sausage and it was delicious. Very quick to make; probably took me longer to chop the veggies than cook it! I will definitely be making this again. It also made a huge amount, so I put some in the freezer for later.

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 cup chopped cabbage (I did not use this)
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can(15 oz) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 oz) tomato puree (The largest I could find was 10oz)
• 1 can (8oz) tomato paste (I used 6 oz and it was fine)
• 3 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup small pasta shells (I couldn't find the baby shells, so I used regular and I added 2 cups and it wasn't too much pasta)
• Fresh basil leaves and shaved parmesan cheese, optional

In a Dutch oven, brown meat and onion until cooked. Add the celery, carrots, cabbage, green pepper, zucchini and garlic; saute 3 minutes longer. Stir in the water, tomatoes, beans, tomato pureee, tomato sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Stir in pasta; cook 12-15 minutes longer or until tender. Garnish wtih basil and parm cheese.

*The original recipe is meatless and calls for 3 Tbsp oil to saute the onion in.