Zucchini e Fagioli (a variety of Pasta e Fagioli)

1 small fresh zucchini, thinly sliced and slices quartered

2 TBSP Olive Oil, Extra Virgin

1 lb - 19.3 oz ground turkey, 93% lean

Shaker of powdered garlic

Baby carrots, sliced according to your liking

1 tsp chopped jarred garlic

2 cans (15.5 oz) cannellini beans, drained & rinsed

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, no salt added

4 cups sodium-free vegetable broth

1 tsp Herbes de Provence

Garnish Ideas:

grated Parmesan cheese

Italian flat-leaf parsley

sliced, chopped half an avocado for each initial dish of soup

(no avocado planned for second helpings)

1. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or deep saucepan (whatever your favorite soup pot is that will hold all of the ingredients). Add half of the chopped white onion and the ground turkey. Sprinkle the turkey with the powdered garlic. Saute the half of the onion and ground turkey until the turkey is cooked through and the onion is translucent.

2. Add the sliced baby carrots, jarred garlic, other half of the chopped onion, cannellini beans, diced tomato, the quartered slices of zucchini, the vegetable broth, and the Herbes de Provence. Stir well. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir thoroughly, turn the fire down to medium low and allow the soup to cook for approximately 30 minutes, stirring often.

-- The Point: meld the flavors of all of the ingredients, but DO NOT cook down the broth. --

3. When the soup is cooked through, the fresh vegetables should be pleasantly soft but not mushy.The zucchini should look like slightly translucent. The scent should be strong enough to drift through a one-story home.

4. Ladle into soup bowls and add any desired garnish. Serve with buttered Italian bread or crackers.

5. Store soup leftovers in the refrigerator in a storage container with a lid that seals well. Reheat on the stove and eat within 3 days.

Pasta e Fagioli, the name by which this dish is typically known, dates back to the Roman Empire. It is usually made with white beans, such as Cannellini, Great Northern, Borlotti, i.e., the "Fagioli" part of the name, and a small variety of pasta such as Ditalini or Elbow Macaroni. Black beans were often used back in various periods of history.

These days, every region in Italy has its own variety of Pasta e Fagioli. Historic travels between Italy and America expanded the beans, and other ingredients, available. Olive oil, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, and often stewed tomatoes or tomato paste may be included.

Typical meats often prepared in this dish include cooked ham, bacon, sausage, ground beef, ground turkey, or pancetta. Some people even include bacon.

Pasta e Fagioli can be prepared as a vegetarian dish, leaving out all of the meat items, or including tofu. If you prefer, or for health purposes, zucchini can be substituted for the pasta. At that point, the dish is more appropriately named "Zucchini e Fagioli".

So, cook it up to suit yourself and your family's tastebuds. This is a dish a cook - or family of cooks! - can have fun preparing.