classic minestrone

recipe can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to a month, it takes a while to defrost in the refrigerator, so leave plenty of defrosting time! feel free to tweak the amount of each vegetable- I'm not a huge celery fan, so I used more potatoes and carrots, two cans of black beans instead of just one can of cannellini, and Italian seasoning instead of just rosemary. As you can see, you can really tweak this to your personal preferences! This recipe just fits into a 4 1/2 quart pot. Since the base is just water, it really brings out the vegetables' natural flavor. If you prefer the broth to be flavorful as well, you could substitute with chicken or vegetable broth, or simply throw in a bullion cube or two!

SERVES 6-8

Ingredients
3/4 cup leek, white and light green parts sliced thin crosswise, rinsed well
3/4 cup diced carrot
3/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced celery
1 1/4 cups diced baking potatoes
1 1/4 cups diced zucchini
3 cups spinach leaves
1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, packed in juice, drained, and chopped
8 cups water
1 pinch salt
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans
1/4 cup basil pesto (or 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary mixed with 1 teaspoon minced garlic and 1 tablespoon extra-vir)
1 pinch ground black pepper

fresh parmesan to garnish

Directions
1) Bring vegetables, tomatoes, water, and 1 teaspoon salt to boil in a soup kettle or pot. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender but still hold their shape, about 1 hour.
2) Add beans and cook just until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Stir in pesto (or rosemary-garlic mixture). Adjust seasonings, adding pepper and more salt, if necessary. Ladle soup into bowls, top with grated fresh parmesan, and serve immediately.

originally from recipezaar