Quite day cooking vegetable soup and working on my computer.

MINESTRONE (Vegetarian version)
This is Italian peasant dish with rustic style.

375g dried haricot beans or Italian Soup Mix (see instruction below.)
2 tsp. crushed garlic (jar.)
1 large onion
4 carrots
4 stalks celery
1/2 small cabbage
1 x 410g diced tomatoes
250g green beans
125g frozen peas
125g small macaroni or other pasta
2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley or basil
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan
8 cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock (Massel)
Salt & pepper to taste

Soak dried haricot beans or Italian Soup Mix overnight. Drain. Simmer beans in 4 cups water for 2 hours. (Italian Soup Mix, simmer for 1 1/4 hours see instruction below)
Saute in olive oil, cut onion into eighths and crushed garlic until golden.
Add stock simmer gently with finely sliced carrots and celery.
Slice cabbage, and green beans into large pieces (rustic style).
Add all vegetables, except peas; bring to the boil then cover and reduce heat until soup barely simmering. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
20 minutes before serving add peas and macaroni, bring to the boil and then simmer until macaroni is tender.
Just before serving, stir in fresh chopped parsley or basil and little olive oil.
Serve hot with freshly grated Parmesan.
Serve 6-8

As I am cooking for one person and freezing most of this soup.
I UNDERCOOK by about 10 minute after the pasta is put in.
Rapid Cool - FREEZE HERE after removing the portion for tonight meal and any that will used next day.
Fully cook single portion in the microwave. 3 minutes if warm and 4 to 5 minutes when thawed.
Garnish with Grated Parmesan and serve with crusty bread.

Note: This soup needs to be THAW IN REFRIGERATOR then adding extra liquid and seasoning if desired. (I in mine put 1/2 cup water, extra tomato paste and extra garlic or dash of Tabasco sauce. Stirring just a bit. Microwave as above.)

Serves 6-8 (portion 1 1/2 cups)
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Total cooking time: 1 3/4 - 3 3/4 hours.

Cooking - Italian Soup Mix.
Rinse soup mix before soaking. Soak soup mix for 6-8 hours (overnight if convenient) before cooking. As I have found that the bean soup mix need extra cooking, boiling for 15 minutes and change of water to stop wind. I now cook the bean first, until changing the water when the scum is to be removed. Then return bean soup mix to the stockpot using 4 cups of boiling water bring back to the boil and simmer for approx. 1 hour.

Tips: Any amount of soaking will reduce times.
Soups may be frozen for up to six months.

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