Minestrone Soup

**Picture taken from Allrecipes.com

My kids and I had a sleepover at my parents house over Spring Break. For dinner my mom made the BEST Minestrone Soup. My daughters each had 3+ bowls of it! :) I loved it because it had SO much flavor and I was eating something good for me.
ENJOY!

3 slices of lean bacon, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion. minced
1/4 cup minced parsley
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 large potato, diced
1/2 cabbage, finely sliced
1 28-ounce can of tomatoes, slightly blended
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 15 ounce can of kidney beans or two cups of white or pinto beans
2 quarts of soup stock or 2 quarts of water plus 2 tablespoons of beef or chicken bouillon granules
1/2 cup dry whole wheat spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces

In a large kettle, fry bacon thoroughly but not until crisp. Do not drain grease. Add garlic, onion, parsley, celery, carrots, potato and cabbage. Saute for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often, until vegetables are tender but still crunchy. (this step is vital for full flavor.) Add tomatoes, basil, salt, beans and stock. Simmer about 45 minutes. Add spaghetti, and cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

Yield: 1 gallon
Calories 110 per serving