Minestrone Soup

 
This is a great soup, one of my favorites really, and here is why...

1.) I usually have everything on hand
2.) It is pretty cheap - we've started Financial Peace University at our church :) and this soup is FPU approved, you could even make it at the beginning of the week then eat it through the week for lunch.
3.) It is easy and takes about 15 minutes prep/get it going time
4.) It is always good and colorful
5.) It is healthy

So, here's the recipe and you can make it too!

1 onion (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 stalks of celery (chopped)
3 carrots (again... chopped)
1 can white beans
1 can diced tomatoes
3-4 cups vegetable/chicken broth
1/4 cup orzo pasta (or another kind, I just like the size of this one in this soup)
2-3 big handfulls of fresh spinach
Italian seasoning, herbs de provence, parsley, basil, salt, pepper... just add some seasonings to taste!

Chop and saute the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots (5 minutes).  Add seasonings, saute about 2-3 more minutes until it becomes fragrant.  Add beans, tomatoes, and broth.  Bring to a boil and let this cook for a little while until the carrots are semi-tender.  The add the orzo and let it finish cooking about 10 minutes (The orzo will soak up quite a bit of the broth so you may need to add a little more broth, especially if the soup sits a while before eating it... that's what happened with mine this time as you can see in the picture.) At the last minute before eating, throw in a bunch of spinach and stir so it's just wilted. 

You can also add zucchini, squash, other beans, potatoes, brown rice, or whatever you have on hand... It's the beauty of soups :)

Happy Fall and Happy Soup Season! (more soups to come!)