Italian Minestrone

• 1/2 pound dried red kidney beans
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced leeks
• 1 cup julienne-cut carrot
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried whole basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried whole thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried whole oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 5 cups water
• 2 (10 1/2-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans no-salt-added whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 2 cups coarsely shredded cabbage
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
• 1/2 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Sort and wash beans; place in a Dutch oven. Cover with water to a depth of 2 inches above beans; let soak overnight. Drain beans well; set aside.
2. Add olive oil to pan; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add leeks and next 4 ingredients; saute until tender. Stir in basil and next 4 ingredients; saute 1 minute. Stir in beans, 5 cups water, and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in tomato and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Ladle into individual bowls. Top each serving with 1 teaspoon cheese.

beans, olive oil, leeks, juliennecut carrot, celery, parsley, fresh garlic, basil, thyme, oregano, salt, ground red pepper, water, chicken broth, salt, elbow macaroni, cabbage, zucchini, freshly grated parmesan cheese

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/italian-minestrone (may not work)