Ingredients serve 4 .

2 tablespoon olive oil

1onion chopped

1 garlic clove

2 celery sticks

1 leek finely chopped

1 carrot chopped

13 chopped tomatoes

2 and one half chicken or vegetable stock

1 zuchini sliced

½ small cabbage, shreaded

1 bay leaf randa

3canned navy beans

3 oz spaghetti broken into small pieces or small pasta shapes

1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf  parsley salt and pepper grated parmeasan cheese to serve .

Method

 Heat the oil in a large saucepan . Add the onion garlic , celery , leek and carrot and cook over a medium heat stairing occasionally for 5 minutes . Add the tomatoes , stock , zucchini , cabbage , bay leaf and navy beans . Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes .

Add the pasta and season to taste . Stir well and cook for an additional 8 minutes . keep stairing because the soup may stick to the base of an open . Just before serving add the parsley and stir well . Ladle ito individual bowls and serve with the grated parmeasan .

For minestrone with arugula and basil pesto make up the soup as above then ladle into bowls Top with spoonful of pesto made by finely chopping ½ cup of arugula leaves and ½ basil leaves 1 garlic clove and 3 tablespoon peanuts. Mix well 2 tablespoon freshly grated parmeasan and a little salt and pepper and ½ cup olive oil . Alternatively put all the pesto sauce ingredients in a blender or a food processor and whiz together .    

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