Mum's Minestrone

It felt really autumnal this morning, seasons of mist and mellow fruitfulness type weather, just the right time for a hearty soup.  We have a sixth form open evening tonight so this will be waiting for us when we arrive home.

                                                            Bubbling away

Ingredients
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1.2 litres of vegetable stock
1 teasp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1x 400g in of chopped tomatoes or passata
1 bay leaf
1 piece of parmesan rind
1x400g tin of haricot or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
80g small pasta shapes or spaghetti broken into small pieces
150g peas
1 courgette, cut into chunks
A good grating of nutmeg
Bacon lardons, optional
A few celery leaves, chopped
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Method
Heat the oil in a large pan on a medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and fry gently until softened, about 5 minutes.  Next add the rosemary and cook for a minute.
In goes the stock next with the tomato, bay leaf, and the parmesan rind and cook for about another 5 minutes.  Season to taste, add the beans and simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes.
Add the pasta and cook following the pack instructions until cooked.  About 5 minutes before the pasta is cooked add the remaining vegetables.
Last but not least add a couple of gratings of nutmeg, stir it into the soup and then check seasonings again.  Serve garnished with the chopped celery leaves and a generous sprinkling of parmesan.  Vegetarians look away as I will sprinkle the bacon on at the end.