Woohoooo!! It's actually going to RAIN here in the arid drought-ridden City of the Angeles. Carrot rain dance!
To celebrate making it through the long hot summer, I am making soup YES SOUP! IT'S COOL ENOUGH FOR SOUP! recipe adapted from the Sophia Loren cookbook that somebody gave me for Christmas 10 years ago. The only changes really, I took out the pancetta (bacon) and replaced the potatoes with whole wheat pasta spirals, oh and I used canned tomatoes instead of fresh, forgive me Sophia, that's all I got.
2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves sliced garlic
1 large onion, sliced
3 carrots, scraped and thinly sliced
3 thin zucchini, washed and sliced
1 bunch fresh spinach, washed, trimmed, roughly chopped
1 to 2 stalks celery, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 head cauliflower, separated into flowerets
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup cooked or canned cannelini or white beans
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 cup of whole wheat pasta (used spirals)
Heat up the oil and cook the onions and garlic over medium heat. When golden at the carrots, potatoes, zucchini, celery, and cauliflower. Saute for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables become very lightly browned.
Add enough water to cover the vegetables, bring just to a simmer, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, add pasta & cook 10 more minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Add salt to taste; add water if the soup is too thick. Season to taste with pepper, add the tomatoes, spinach and beans, and cook until they are heated through. Adjust seasonings to taste (I added dried basil & oregano.) Serve with grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Sophia Loren's Minestrone - Sonoma-ized!
Maintenance Break! 
