Ministrone soup (And french bread)

Another Peter Favorite
It may be the bread, it may be that this is a great meal on a cold night after a draining swimming or running practice.  Either way, Peter seems to love this dinner almost as much as his coveted dinner in a roll. It's easy to make and certainly warms the heart on a cold, dark, snowy Colorado night. I personally think the bread makes the meal even better, but it does add a bit to the prep time. 
Ingredients
  • 3 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 medium onion (chopped)
  • 2 cups chopped carrots
  • 1 tsp crushed garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
  • 32 oz. vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 cup ditalini pasta
  • 2 cups chopped zucchini
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 15 oz. can Great Northern beans
  • t tbsp basil
Directions
  1. In a big pot, sauté your chopped onions and carrots in olive oil on medium heat for about four minutes or so. 
  2. Add the garlic and stir for another minute.
  3. Season it with the salt and pepper.
  4. Add the vegetable stock and water.
  5. Add the tomatoes and zucchini and bring the whole big pot to a boil.
  6. Add the pasta and cook for about 8 minutes, until the pasta is just right.
  7. If you boiled off too much water, add a bit more so you can have soup. Otherwise, its just a bunch of vegetables and pasta without any broth.
  8. Add the beans, basil, and tomato paste, and mix.
  9. Dish it up!
  10. If you feel cheesy, grate a little parmesan on top.
  11. Set a bowl out for Peter and save 1/2 the bread for him. He'll smell it and come running.

It tastes better if you say it right

So, I was talking to someone about our Minestron-ee soup recipe and they immediately stopped all traffic and said, "Do you know how you can tell if someone is not from Italy?" and I looked at them with a deer in the headlights look, and they said, "Because they say Ministron-EE, it's not Minestrone-EE it's Minstr-OWN!" So it turns out I was saying it wrong all these years. Either way, it still tastes good. At least now, I won't sound like such a schmuck...maybe.