On cold, rainy fall evenings like tonight, I love a bowl of hearty soup. Here’s one of my standby recipes. Serve it with a salad, a baked potato or cook up a grilled cheese to dunk in there. The best part is you’ll have enough leftover for tomorrow’s lunch.

MINESTRONE SOUP

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion (or 1 cup), chopped
• 1 cup celery (2 stalks), diced
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 cup carrots, sliced
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. salt
• pepper
• 1 cup frozen green beans
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1 cup whole wheat pasta

In a large pot combine oil, onion, celery and parsley. Sauté until soft. Add garlic and cook for one more minute. Add vegetable stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, carrots, basil, salt and pepper. Heat to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Add green beans, kidney beans and pasta and cook about 15 minutes until pasta is cooked. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.