Michelle's Minestrone

Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 1/2 cups dried navy beans, washed
• 9 cups water
• 3 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 lb italian sausage
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 5 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 medium zucchini, chopped
• 4 tablespoons dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, minced
• 2 (16 ounce) cans tomatoes, chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked al dente

Recipe

• 1 in a large soup pot bring to a boil the beans, water and carrots. cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours.
• 2 in a skillet fry the sausage on medium heat until well done. remove and set aside reserving the drippings in the skillet.
• 3 add the onions, garlic, celery, zucchini, basil, sage and parsley in the same skillet with the drippings. saute on medium-high heat until the onions are transparent.
• 4 add the sauteed vegetables, chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper to the soup.
• 5 chop the sausage and add to the soup.
• 6 simmer the soup for another hour adding the cooked macaroni at the end of the cooking time so doesn't become mushy.