While chicken soup and matzah balls may be the quintessential soup of the High Holidays, minestrone is the one I always serve during Sukkot.
An Italian soup made with fresh seasonal vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice, makes a perfect addition to any meal eaten outdoors.
The most common ingredients of minestrone soup include beans (dry and/or canned), onions, celery, carrots, stock and tomatoes. There is no single correct recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season or in your fridge. It can be whipped together (and thrown into a crockpot ) relativity quickly before you head out for services to be ready when you get home, or cooked the night before and reheated. It can also be dairy, pareve or contain meat.

1/2 cup dried cannellini beans
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
3 oz. sliced pastrami, chopped
1 cup minced yellow onions
1/2 cup minced celery
1/2 cup minced carrots
1 generous tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 (14.5-oz.) can tomatoes, drained
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
4 oz. green beans, cut into 1/2-in. pieces
2 medium zucchini, diced
4 oz. white mushrooms, diced
2 cups shredded Savoy cabbage
4 oz. asparagus, diced
1 cup fresh or frozen petite green peas
8 to 10 basil leaves, shredded
8 cups warm water or canned low-sodium chicken broth
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sort beans, pick out the bad ones and soak overnight in water to cover.
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add pastrami, onions, celery, carrots and parsley; cook, stirring until vegetables are lightly golden and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir, about 5 minutes. Drain and add the rehydrated cannellini beans, potatoes, green beans, zucchini, mushrooms, cabbage, asparagus, peas and basil to the pot.
Season with salt and pepper and stir for 2 to 3 minutes to coat vegetables well with savoury base. Add warm water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer, stirring from time to time, for 2 to 2-1/2 hours, until the minestrone has a dense, thick consistency. (If the soup should thicken too much, add a bit more water.) Adjust seasoning. Turn off heat and let soup stand for about 30 minutes. Serves 8 to 10.

Note: Rice or small pasta such as ditalini can be added to the soup during the last minutes of cooking. Add rice 10 minutes before you turn off the heat, pasta 3 to 5 minutes before. The rice or pasta will keep cooking as the soup rests.
Adapted from Biba’s Taste of Italy by Biba Caggiano, William Morrow Publishing, 2001.

1 (10-oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 egg
salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
7 cups beef or chicken or vegetable broth
1 (14.5-oz.) can whole tomatoes, mashed with a spoon
1 (15.5-oz.) can kidney beans
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crumbled dried basil leaves
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup uncooked rotelli pasta

Squeeze as much moisture as possible from spinach. Mix together with beef, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper. Shape into 1-inch balls. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until very hot. Add a few meatballs and brown on all sides. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towels. Repeat till all are browned.
Remove excess oil and add onion to Dutch oven; cook until opaque. Stir in broth, tomatoes, beans, oregano and basil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add carrots and celery; cover and simmer for 10 minutes more. Stir in pasta; cover and simmer until done, about 10 minutes. Add meatballs and heat through, about 5 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls. Serves 10 to 12.

2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
1/2 large sweet potato, diced
2 medium white potatoes, diced
3 stalks celery
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 carrots, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
15 oz. canned whole tomatoes
6 cups water, boiling
salt and pepper
fresh or dried oregano, to taste
1/4 lb. rotini pasta, cooked and drained
Parmesan cheese, optional for dairy

Saute the onion in the olive oil, until golden. Add the sweet potato, white potatoes, celery, peas, carrots and corn and sauté until softened. Add tomatoes, breaking up with hands or spoon. Add boiling water, salt and pepper and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.  In the last minutes of cooking, add the cooked pasta to the soup. Ladle into bowls, garnish with cheese and oregano if desired. Serves 6.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp. minced garlic (more if you prefer)
2 stalks celery
1 red pepper, seeded and diced into chunks
4 oz. prewashed and cut kale (6 cups)
1 (1-lb.) bag frozen mixed Italian vegetables such as zucchini, green beans, cauliflower and broccoli
1 (14-1/2-oz.) can "petite" diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup elbow macaroni
5 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (42 fl. oz.)
2 cups water
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 (19-oz.) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
grated Parmesan, optional
 
Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add kale and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Add frozen vegetables, pepper, celery, tomatoes with juice, pasta, broth, water, salt and pepper and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, transfer half of the beans to a wide, shallow bowl and coarsely mash with a fork or a potato masher, then stir mashed and whole beans into soup and simmer, stirring occasionally, until soup is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Modified from a recipe from epicurious.com

1 cup frozen chopped onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 (15- to 19-oz.) can cannellini beans, undrained
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 (1.4-oz.) package dry vegetable soup mix
1 (16-oz.) package frozen cooked meatballs or vegetarian meatballs
2 (14-1/2-oz.) cans Italian-style diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 cup elbow pasta, uncooked
1 (10-oz.) package fresh washed baby spinach

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the onion and the garlic in the olive oil until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in vegetable soup mix until dissolved. Add meatballs, tomatoes and crushed red pepper and return to a boil. Add elbow macaroni and cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender.
Add the spinach and stir until it is wilted, about 1 minute. Serves 6.

1 package uncooked rigatoni pasta
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 tsp. Italian seasoning mix, divided
1 large zucchini, sliced
1 large carrot, chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package and drain. Return pasta to stockpot; add 1 tbsp. of the oil and 1 tsp. of the seasoning mix, stirring to coat. Cover and keep warm.
Meanwhile heat remaining oil in skillet over medium heat until hot. Add garlic and stir-fry 1 minute. Add zucchini and carrot and stir-fry 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add mushrooms, spaghetti sauce, garbanzo beans and remaining seasoning mix. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-6 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and heated through. Transfer pasta to a large bowl. Carefully pour sauce over pasta. Grate Parmesan cheese over pasta. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1 large potato, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 medium zucchini, grated
1 8-3/4-oz. can red kidney beans, drained
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
pinch of dried red pepper flakes
olive oil for drizzling

Combine the chicken stock, water, potato and garlic in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the potato becomes tender, about 15 minutes. Using a spoon or large fork, mash the potato slightly. Add the zucchini and kidney beans; cook until the beans are heated, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Divide among four soup bowls and drizzle a small amount of extra virgin olive oil over each serving. Serves 4.

2 (14.5-oz) cans vegetable broth
1 (18-oz) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
3 medium carrots, chopped
3 small zucchini cut into 1/2-in. slices
1 medium yellow bell pepper cut into 1/2-in. pieces
8 medium green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Mix all ingredients except rice and basil in a 3-1/2 to 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or until vegetables are tender. Stir in rice. Cover and cook on low heat setting for about 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Serves 6.