Minestrone Soup

Here's a very simple and delicious soup for a cold day. The weather here in Syracuse has been cold and snowy for much of the past week, but seems to be warming up now. I wish I had made this a week ago when we were shivering!

It's a variation on the minestrone soup my mom always made when I was growing up. The only big difference is that I leave out ground beef, but outside of that it's the same. Everyone should have an easy, hearty soup in their repertoire. May I recommend this one?

Minestrone Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 can green beans, drained
1 can wax beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 large can diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon vegetable base
8-10 cups water
1 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp basil
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery. Stir and cook until vegetables begin to soften. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.