Minestrone Soup

This soup recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.  I use this as a base and use whatever veggies I have on hand such as green beans instead of zucchini, all onions when I don't have leeks, etc..  It always turns out great and my boys love it.  I also always cook bacon whole first, take it out, and sprinkle it on at the end of cooking.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 strips bacon, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 carrots, washed and chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 leek, washed and chopped
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 x 13.5 ounce cans chopped plum tomatoes
1 large potato, scrubbed and diced
1 x 15.5 ounce can garbanzo, drained and rinsed
4 cups (1-quart container) low-sodium vegetable broth
3 cups curly kale, stalks removed, chopped
½ cup mixed small pasta shapes a bunch of basil (optional) 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
large pinch freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese;optional

Method:

• Heat a large pot over a medium heat and add a lug of olive oil. Throw in the bacon and fry it gently until it starts to turn brown and smell fantastic. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, leek, oregano and bay leaf and cook slowly for about 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables have softened.
• Add the tomatoes, potato, chick peas and vegetable broth, then cover with a lid and bring everything slowly to the boil. Simmer for about 30 minutes, then check (with the tip of a paring knife) that the potato is soft and cooked through.
• After that, add the kale and pasta, and cook for 10 more minutes, until the pasta is cooked. If the soup is too thick for you after cooking the pasta, thin it with a little more broth or water.
• The basil is optional but I think it is a nice little addition. If you decide to use it, stir some chopped leaves into the soup. Finish by seasoning with a little salt and black pepper and pass the Parmesan around the table for people to sprinkle on their soup.