Wok's For Dinner: Minestrone Soup

Tonight's meal was inspired by this recipe that I found at Clay In His Hands. With the cooler weather, I wanted a hearty homemade soup to add to our menu plan. About the only time I get away with making soups is in the Winter (hubs thinks they are a poor choice for supper when it's hot outside).

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup diced onion
1 large carrot (thinly sliced)
2 stalks celery (thinly sliced)
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups cubed zucchini
28 0z. can diced tomatoes
15 oz. can broth (or water)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
15 0z. can garbanzo beans {chick peas} (drained) (I used navy beans instead)
15 oz. can kidney beans (drained)
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni (I used straight macaroni)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:
Combine olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in a large pot. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes or until garlic is golden brown. Add zucchini, tomatoes, broth, water, and Italian seasoning. Stir. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, stir. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until macaroni is tender.

If freezing: Allow soup to cool after preparing as directed above. Place cooled soup in gallon-size freezer bag, squeeze out air, and seal. Lay flat in freezer. Thaw 48 hours in refrigerator. Heat in large saucepan and serve.

This was a nice soup. It needed a bit more flavor than what I gave it. I think the pasta sucked up all the seasoning flavor, so maybe 1 tsp of salt instead of 1/2 tsp for next time. It was a very nice meal, and everyone in the family ate it very well. Especially my 3-yr-old daughter, who really loved it.