real good soup

we had our parents over for dinner for the first time after moving in a couple weeks ago. i thought making soup would be the easiest and best thing for 8 people, so i got this recipe off of my sister's friend's blog and i loved it. so thank you to the inventor, it's amazing soup. just thought i'd share it again.

Minestrone Soup

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• I large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, miced
• 8 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
• 28 oz can of tomato sauce (or crushed tomato's)
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 2 med-sized carrots, sliced
• 2 potato's, cut into cubes
• 2 med-sized zucchini, diced
• 1/2 C fresh parsley, chopped (or you can use 1 Tbsp dried)
• 1 C small pasta (shells, macaroni, etc.,)
• 1/2 C Parmesan Cheese
• 2 tsp. dried basil leaves
• 1 tsp. dried marjoram
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp. ground celery seed
• Dash of cayenne pepper

Directions:
Over medium heat, in a sautee pan combine olive oil, onions & garlic and 3 Tbsp of stock. Sautee until onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the remaining stock, tomato sauce, celery, carrot, potato, zucchini and all spices (do not add pasta or parmesan). Mix and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer and simmer for 15 mintues. Bring to a boil again and add pasta & parmesan. Reduce to a simmer for an additional 20 minutes. I usually sprinkle some more parmesan on top once it's served. Enjoy!