Minestrone

Nothing better to warm the soul than with a hot cup of soup. Not so good in the tropics of Australia (made us sweat!), but it was cheap, tasty and easy to make. I didn't cook the macaroni first, I added raw macaroni towards the end and let it cook in the soup.

*Taken from Murdoch Books, 'Australian Family Favourites', pg 15, published 2007*

Ingredients
80g (1/2 cup) macaroni
1 tbs olive oil
1 leek, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 carrot, sliced
1 boiling (waxy) potato, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
100g green beans, cut into short lengths
425g can chopped tomatoes
2 litres (8 cups) vegetable or beef stock
2 tbs tomato paste
425g tinned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbs chopped flat-leaf (italian) parsely
shaved parmesan cheese, to serve

Method
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the macaroni and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add the leek and garlic and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

Add the carrot, potato, zucchini, celery, green beans, tomato, stock and tomato paste, Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in the cooked pasta and the cannellini beans. Spoon into bowls and garnish with the parsley and parmesan cheese.

Serves 4 - 6