Italian minestrone soup with ditalini

Cut the carrots, celery and onion the same size; the pumpkin a little bigger, the potatoes small like the carrots, the broccoli small.

Heat a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; add the celery, onion and carrot with rosemary leaves and let the rosemary fry a little.

Add a splash of water so the soffritto does not burn, cover and cook about 10 minutes until soft.

Add the pumpkin and potatoes with a little more oil and stir; add water to cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes over medium-high until a little softer.

Add the diced tomatoes and stir; add generous water to cover, then the cubed parmigiano rind, a rosemary stick and the broccoli, with more water to submerge.

Season generously with salt and pepper, stir, cover and cook 10 minutes.

Add the beans, lentils and a little parsley, more water to cover; lid on over medium-high for the next 20 minutes, stirring two or three times and scraping the bottom, adding a lot of water if it starts to stick. Remove the rosemary stick.

Check the potatoes and pumpkin are cooked, salt to taste and add a little more olive oil.

Add the ditalini and boil uncovered 10 minutes (two less than the packet's 12), stirring and scraping the bottom so it does not stick.

Take off the heat and let sit about 5 minutes while the pasta absorbs the extra water.

Serve with parsley sprinkled on top. To freeze, store in containers; when reheating, add more water.