Minestrone from the Freezer

Tonight I felt well enough to cook - and eat - a proper meal for the first time in a week. But I still wanted something sort of comforting. I pulled kidney beans, chickpeas, red peppers, green peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes out of my freezer and made this yummy soup. The frozen ingredients work great. You'll need to thaw the tomatoes and beans (at least partially) but the others can go in frozen. You can also try this again in the fall, when the weather has cooled enough for soup but the veggies are still all available fresh; you might even be able to score some fresh shell beans to use then.

olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chopped tomatoes and their liquid
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans or cannellini
2 medium carrots, in thin rounds
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
1 cup diced or shredded zucchini
Water or stock (chicken or veggie) as needed
1 cup dry elbow macaroni or similar pasta
1-2 Tbsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat some olive oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic and onion and saute over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, beans, carrots, peppers, and zucchini, and enough water or stock to generously cover. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the veggies are tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Add the pasta, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper. Return the soup to a boil, then simmer again until the pasta is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves at least 6.

Variations: substitute other vegetables with whatever you have.