Minestrone...in minutes.

              Ingredients

• 3 or 4 pieces of bacon
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 long carrot, sliced
• 1 sweet potato or yam, peeled and diced
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 25-30 oz of marinara/spaghetti sauce
• 4-6 cups beef broth
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1-1/2 cups dry pasta, elbows or ziti or spiral...or whatever you like.
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• some fresh Italian Parsley, chopped. Maybe a 1/4 cup
• 1-2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning (oregano, basil, etc.)
• grated Parmesan cheese, to top

            Directions:

• In large soup pot or dutch oven cook bacon until crisp. 
• Remove bacon and saute onions, sweet potato, zucchini and carrot in bacon fat, until tender
• Add minced garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
• Stir in marina sauce, beef broth and bring to boil.

• Add dry pasta, brown sugar, handful of fresh Italian parsley and dried Italian seasoning. 
• Cook, until pasta is tender. You may need to add more beef broth depending on how much pasta you used.
• Reduce heat and simmer until sweet potato and carrot is cooked.

                                       (I always eat the end of the raw carrots.)

 Serve in bowl and garnish with grated Parmesan and frech Italian parsely.