2 cups of garlic, finely chopped (measure after chopping)
6 cups of water (add some and see if more is needed later)
15 qts of canned tomatoes, diced, with the juice
2 qts of carrots, coarsely chopped
2 qts of celery, coarsely chopped
2 qts of zucchini, coarsely chopped (or other seasonal vegetables such as left over corn or peas)
2 qts of sweet peppers (green or red), coarsely chopped (optional)
2½ qts of kale, finely chopped (strip leaves off tough stems)
4 cups of parsley, finely chopped (optional, if available)
2 Tbsp of oregano
4 Tbsp of basil
2 Tbsp of salt
1.5 tsp of pepper
14 cups of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
10 cups of elbow or shell noodles (whole wheat if possible)
1 cup of tomato paste
Steps
In a large pot sauté the olive oil, onions, and garlic for 10 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients (except noodles), and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
When vegetables are not quite cooked, add the noodles. (If you plan to cook, freeze, and reheat the soup, don’t add noodles now because noodles will not freeze well. Instead, cook and freeze everything else, then add noodles when you reheat the soup.)
ust before serving, add 1 cup tomato paste (adding this earlier will cause the whole batch of soup to burn unless it is constantly stirred and in a very heavy-bottomed high-quality pot).
Taste and adjust. If too thick, add more diced tomatoes or water. If too thin, add more tomato paste.
