Minestrone Soup

Innumerable ramblings from my guy, about 'Minestrone soup' finally drove me into preparing this dish. He has always been an avid admirer of this soup since I have known him.

The story behind his craze went something like this: It was during his early days in Southern Switzerland. Every morning, on his way to work, he used to walk past a creche. The creche's breakfast preparations would probably be in full swing and this guy would get a whiff of a heavenly aroma and get intoxicated.
Being a big foodie, one fine day he finally decided to interrogate.
When he inquired about the smell, a nice old grinning lady actually invited him in and served him a bowl from which the 'heavenly aroma' emanated. It was the soup which was prepared on a daily basis for the little kids, and that day a bowl for my guy too :D.
And, in this way he was formally introduced to 'The Minestrone Soup'.

A meal in itself !! A combination of veggies, pasta, beans as well as spinach, sure makes this pot - a complete and healthy one.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Large Onion
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Carrot
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Potato
• 1/2 Cup Chopped French Beans
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Pumpkin
• 1/2 Cup Shredded Cabbage
• 1 Bunch Spinach Leaves
• 2 Medium Tomatoes, chopped
• 2-3 Green Chilly, minced
• 1/2 Cup Boiled Kidney Beans/ Rajma
• 1/2 Cup Pasta
• 4-5 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 2-3 Sprigs of Basil
• 1-2 Tspn Pepper, freshly ground
• 1 Tbspn Grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)
• Olive Oil
• Salt, as per taste

 METHOD

• Soak kidney beans/ rajma overnight. Boil them in salted water till soft. Do not discard this water.
• Chop all the vegetables. Heat olive oil in a pan and add the onion, garlic, carrot, french beans and pumpkin. Saute for about 5 minutes. 
• Then add the potato, cabbage, green chilly and spinach. Add salt. Saute for another 5 minutes. Add tomatoes (either chopped finely or pureed). Add the water in which the kidney beans had been boiled. Add regular water if it is not sufficient. The contents should be completely immersed. Bring to a boil.
• Add pasta and kidney beans.
• Simmer for another 10 minutes, till all the vegetables are tender and well cooked. Maintain gravy consistency as per your liking - thick or watery.
• Sprinkle freshly ground pepper and roughly chopped basil.
• Serve hot with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan.

  
Tip:
Keep cut potatoes immersed in water till they are ready to go into the pot. This prevents browning of the potatoes.