Healthy Recipes: Green Minestrone

(photo credit: Food Network)

This is a recipe I adapted from a Rachel Ray book, taking out a call for pancetta to make it more healthy (and more vegetarian, especially if you use veggie broth). I also adjusted the amounts of some of the veggies. This soup is great for dinner or lunch and it leaves you feeling full, but in a healthy way because you're consuming so many vegetables...which are also quite energizing!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 medium onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium zucchini, diced
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
1 can white beans, cannellini
1 can garbanzo beans, ceci
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 cups chicken or veggie broth
1 cup ditalini pasta or some other small pasta
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
10 ounces triple washed spinach, stems removed and coarsely chopped, or any other dark greens
fresh sliced Parmigiano-Reggiano
12 to 16 leaves fresh basil, torn or shredded or 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves

Directions
Heat a soup pot over medium high heat with oil. Add onions, celery, garlic, zucchini and bay leaves to the pot. Season vegetables with salt and pepper, to your taste. Saute vegetables 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add white beans, garbanzo beans and chicken broth to the pot. Cover soup and bring to a boil. Add pasta and green beans to the soup and cook 8 minutes, or until pasta is just tender. Stir in spinach to wilt, 1 minute. Top soup with torn or shredded basil or chopped parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano slices.