Truly Vegetarian Minestrone

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 ounces already sliced fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

2 cloves minced garlic or 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

2 cups low-sodium V8 juice

4½

cups water

½

cup uncooked ditalini or orzo pasta

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (21/4 ounces) sliced black olives, drained

2 cans (14 ounces each) fire-roasted tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon sugar

½

teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1 cup frozen green peas

10 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Heat the oil on medium-high heat in a soup pot. Add the mushrooms and carrots. Cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots are crisp-tender and the mushrooms begin to lose their liquid, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the garlic, vegetable juice, water and pasta to the pot, and raise heat to high. Cover the pot, and bring the broth to a boil. While the soup is heating, lift the lid to stir from time to time because the pasta will begin to stick to the pot bottom. Rinse and drain the chickpeas, kidney beans and olives, and set aside.

When the soup boils, reduce heat to medium-high. Uncover the pot, and add the tomatoes with their juices, chickpeas, kidney beans, olives, Italian seasoning, sugar and black pepper. Stir frequently, adjusting heat if necessary, to make sure that the soup maintains a vigorous boil. Cook until the pasta is just tender, about 5 more minutes. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, stir in the still-frozen green peas. Serve at once, garnishing each bowl with 1 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese or more to taste.

Serves 10.

@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per serving: 180 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated), 31 g carbohydrates, 7 g fiber, 8 g protein, 1.3 mg cholesterol, 444 mg sodium.