Garden Bounty Minnestrone Soup

This delicious soup uses zucchini, pole beans, carrots and tomatoes from the garden that I'd prepped and frozen over the summer then thawed right in the pot. In addition, I added freshly picked cabbage, parsley, oregano and chives from the fall crop.

1 large yellow onion diced

1 1/2 cups diced carrot

1 1/2 cups diced celery

3-4 crushed and minced garlic cloves

6 cups peeled and diced tomatoes with juice

2-3 cups sliced zucchini with juice

2-3 cups cut pole beans with juice

2 cups chopped cabbage

1 can kidney beans drained

1 can cannellini beans drained

2 large cans (49 oz each) reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth

2 cubes chicken or vegetable bullion (optional)

2-3 sprigs fresh oregano chopped*

4-5 large sprigs fresh parsley chopped*

2-3 sprigs fresh basil chopped*

bunch chives chopped*

2 cups small red potatoes quartered

salt and pepper to taste

* fresh herbs could be substituted with about 2 tablespoons Italian Herb Seasoning.

Sweat the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in olive oil in a large soup pot.  Put all remaining ingredients into the pot and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

This makes easily 12-16 servings.

(Side note:  I'd originally made this recipe with elbow macaroni, but found the pasta doesn't hold up to reheating or freezing.  I now use small red potatoes instead.)