Hearty Minestrone Soup

Forward march on the winter soup recipe testing. I found this one in my recent Food Network magazine. I omitted the carrots because, blah. And I upped the ante on the crushed tomatoes to make this soup extra hearty; I wanted it to fill me up! For such simple ingredients, this soup is very, very tasty.

Hearty Minestrone Soup [adapted from Ellie Krieger]
-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-1 large onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-4 stalks celery, diced
-1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-1 teaspoon dried basil
-Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
-1 28-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
-1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
-6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
-1 15-ounce can low-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed
-1 cup elbow pasta
-chopped basil and freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the celery and carrot and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green beans, dried oregano and basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook 3 more minutes.

3. Add the diced and crushed tomatoes and the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the kidney beans and pasta and cook until the pasta and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Season with salt to taste, garnish with the basil and cheese if desired, and serve.