Minestrone Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 yukon gold potato, diced
1 1/2 cups chickpeas, cooked
6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
1 zucchini, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons italian seasoning
2 ounces dry pasta

Preparation

Saute the onion, carrot, celery, potato and garlic in the oil for 5-10 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning to the vegetables near the end of the saute and stir to coat.
Meanwhile, cook the half cup of dried pasta, such as stelline or tiny shells according to package directions. Cook pasta for about a minute less than the minimum time and then drain and rinse with cold water. Set pasta aside.
Add tomatoes, chickpeas and broth to the sauted vegetables and simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes has passed, add the diced zucchini. Cook for 5 minutes more. Near the end of the cooking time, add the reserved pasta and allow it to heat in the soup for 1-2 minutes.
Serve hot. Salt in canned tomatoes and broth is probably adequate. Shake on crushed red pepper flakes in the serving bowls for a spicy kick.