This comforting minestrone soup is filled with the goodness of the fall harvest.

Scale

1 cup dried beans (I used cranberry beans, but a mix of 1/2 chickpeas, 1/2 fava beans, etc. works well- see notes below)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped

1 leek, sliced and rinsed clean

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 medium celery stalk, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups peeled & diced pumpkin (or similar type of winter squash)

2 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and diced

1 medium fennel bulb, chopped (reserve the fronds for later)

1 tablespoon minced rosemary

1 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2⁄3 cup of fregula, Israeli couscous, or acini di pepe pasta

3 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped

2 tbsp cup loosely packed fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, minced

1 tbsp minced, reserved fennel fronds

plenty of finely grated pecorino Romano, for serving

Soak your dried beans of choice in a large bowl of water for at least 8 hours or up to 16 hours (overnight) Drain the beans in a colander & rinse well.
Warm 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Add in the prepared onion, leek, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring often, until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
Stir in the tomatoes paste, potatoes, fennel, pumpkin, as well as the drained beans.
Add enough water (6 to 8 cups) so that everything is submerged. Season with salt & pepper.
Increase the heat to high and bring soup to a full boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly, uncovered, until the beans are tender, adding more water as necessary if the mixture gets too thick, about 1 – 1 1⁄2 hours.
Stir in your pasta of choice, adding water if necessary. Continue simmering, uncovered, until the pasta is tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Turn off the heat. Stir in the chopped spinach, minced parsley and fennel fronds.
Season the soup with additional salt to taste. Serve and top each bowl with plenty of freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese.

You can vary which beans you use in the minestrone: pinto beans make a good substitute for cranberry beans; great northern or cannellini beans, for the favas beans, etc.
You can also substitute with whatever fresh green is in season where you live: kale, swiss chard, arugula, etc.