Ligurian Minestrone - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 medium russet potatoes or 1 medium idaho potato, peeled and diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 cup canned chopped tomato, with juices
4 cups defatted chicken broth or 4 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup short macaroni (such as tubetti or ditalini)
4 cups packed thoroughly rinsed roughly chopped spinach leaves (about 5 oz.)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Preparation

Heat the oil in a heavy 4-quart saucepan over med-high heat.
Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery and cook until they begin to soften, 2-3 minutes.
Add the potato and zucchini and stir well to combine.
Stir in the tomatoes and broth, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.
Decrease heat to med-low, partially cover the pan, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
Add the macaroni and cook, stirring frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom, until it is tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the spinach and basil, stir well to combine, and cook 5 minutes longer.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with cheese.