Recipe: Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and saute the garlic, onion, carrots and cabbage for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and saute for 2 minutes more. Pour the chicken broth and the Italian passata tomatoes (passata is uncooked concentrated, blended tomatoes), and bring to a boil. Reduce the temperature of the stove and simmer the minestrone for 30 minutes. In the meantime, boil the baby sea shell noodles according to package instructions for al dente and keep them aside. When the minestrone soup is ready, let it stay at room temperature for 10 minutes, reheat and serve. As it is with all vegetable soups, the minestrone will become more tasty after the first reheating. Place 2 tablespoons of pasta noodles in each bowl and pour the soup. Put some pesto sauce in a squeeze bottle and make a spiral of pesto on the surface of each soup. This version of the minestrone soup is called Minestrone Milanese and is distinguished by the use of pesto sauce.

Savour all the amazing flavors of the Italian and Mediterranean cuisines!!!