feel better soup

the flu bug found our house. againnnnn.
MAD!
no actually more like psssssssssed.

i am a borderline o.c.d kitchen/bathroom cleaner any day of the week but when
cold and flu season hits i go into ninja germ fighter mode. 
no door handle, tv remote or light switch gets by my ocd-ness.

my best efforts have been in vane this last flu season.
prior to this flu season, my last real flu was in 2007. so you see my frustration with this!

the feb/march flu bug hit hard and fast and so much different than the one that rocked my world in december.

anyways after about a week of getting through the bad stuff i have crawled out of a drug induced fog and started to feel like me again...
mine was exiting...
mr c came through the door at lunch time in denial he was getting sick.
6 hours later.
his eyes glassy. he was droopy. sweaty. chills. red nose.
he asked if i would make a pot of tea and could we have oatmeal and toast for dinner.
he doesn't take sick days ever. today he's on day 2 working from home in robe under a blankie.

this pic has nothing to do with being sick.
it's a preview of our spring menu board i'm working on.
oh and the weather report.

on the upswing and wanting some comfort food so i went back into cooking mode.
a pot of soup and a loaf of bread fixes just about everything.
it's a pot of healing, comfort and lots of flavor. hearty. it's easy.
it is also versatile and can be changed up with what i have on hand.

this is my little twist on my go-to minestrone.
we call it 'that other minestrone soup'.
today i'm calling it 'feel better soup'

so hard to make soup look pretty :( but your tummy will smile :)

feel better soup.

2 T olive oil
4 md carrots chopped
3 md potatoes med sized diced
1 large onion diced
2 md garlic cloves minced
veg stock (i use 2 veg bullion + 8 c water)
1 diced red bell pepper (only like red or yellow)
1/2 c dry green lentils
1 can/box red kidney beans (rinsed) or white beans are good too
1/2 c (approx) frozen spinach (or a big handful of chopped greens)
1/2 c frozen sweet corn
1/4 t crushed red pepper (it's just enough to give it a little kick)
1/4 t dried thyme
1/4 t dried oregano
1/4 t dried rosemary
1/2 t dried basil
*1/2 c mini bow tie pasta (or favorite mini)
sea salt & pepper (to taste just before serving)

sweat out onions in olive oil. add carrots and garlic. saute a few minutes.
add rest of listed ingredients *except pasta
simmer 20-25 mins until lentils and potatoes are almost done but still with some firmness.
add pasta now. cook another 5-8 minutes until pasta is al dente.
we like it best when the there is a little firmness to all the different veg and pasta. it took me years to figure out how to not over cook pasta and rice in soups... anyways...
this soup has a slight self thickening quality because of the veg starches/ lentil/pasta but is kinda brothy too. get it? not sure how else to explain it, we just love it.
makes 6 good servings

wishing you a healthy day!
xo tracie