Classic Italian Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil plus ½ stick, 4 oz. high quality butter, which Northern Italians cook with alongside olive oil for a more rich, deep…
• 5 cloves garlic 4 -,large, minced
• 1 onion preferably sweet, such as Vidialia, diced
• 8 ounces diced pancetta 4 -, If vegetarian, do not include [pancetta
• 3 carrots cleaned and diced/sliced pancetta
• 2 stalks celery plus its flavor-filled leaves, cleaned and diced/sliced
• 1 cup fresh green beans cut up into ½" pieces
• 14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes 2 cans, imported Italian, San Marzano's, OR better yet, use the same amount of garden-fresh, home-grown t…
• 2 idaho potatoes cut into chunks about ¼" thick
• 1 zucchini diced with skin left on
• 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach or swiss chard, chopped
• 1 cup cabbage fresh, chopped
• 1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed well
• 1 can red kidney beans dark, drained and rinsed well
• 1 can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed well
• 6 cups water 4 -, or homemade vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 bunch Italian parsley stems removed and chopped, makes about 1 cup
• 1 chunk Parmesan big, rind
• 1 tablespoon sage freshly-diced
• salt freshly cracked
• pepper to taste
• 1 cup pasta tubular, ditalini
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning dried, optional
• freshly grated Parmesan for serving

Nutrition

• Calories : 470 calories
• Carbohydrate : 61 grams
• Cholesterol : 15 milligrams
• Fat : 18 grams
• Fiber : 8 grams
• Protein : 23 grams
• SaturatedFat : 3 grams
• Sodium : 700 milligrams
• Sugar : 6 grams