Bacon Minestrone

Ingredients

• 8 ounces bacon 
• 2 cups coarsely cabbage shredded
• 29 ounce tomatoes whole undrained coarsely chopped canned
• 1 cup julienne-cut carrot 
• 0.5 cup celery sliced
• 21 ounce chicken broth canned
• 1 cup elbow macaroni uncooked
• 2 tablespoons parsley fresh chopped
• 10 ounce pkt spinach frozen thawed chopped
• 2 tablespoons garlic fresh minced
• 2 teaspoons penzey's southwest seasoning dried italian
• 1 cup leeks thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 0.8 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
• 0.5 pound kidney beans dried red
• 0.3 teaspoon salt 
• 5 cups water 
• 1.5 cups zucchini thinly sliced

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• ladle
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Sort and wash beans; place in a Dutch oven. Cover with water to a depth of 2 inches above beans; let soak overnight.
2. Drain beans well; set aside.
3. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp; remove bacon, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan. Crumble bacon, and set aside.
4. Add olive oil to pan; place over medium-high heat until hot.
5. Add leeks and next 4 ingredients; saute until tender. Stir in Italian seasoning and salt; saute 1 minute. Stir in beans, chicken broth, and 5 cups water; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally.
6. Stir in tomato, macaroni, cabbage, zucchini, and spinach. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Ladle into individual bowls. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese and crumbled bacon.