Vegetable Minestrone with Parsley Pistou

For the Soup:

• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil or 2 tablespoons if omitting the pancetta
• 3 ounces pancetta diced *see note, or 3 slices bacon
• 1 yellow onion peeled and diced (about 2 cups, large
• 5 celery diced (about 2 cups, stalks
• 2 carrot scrubbed clean and diced (about 2 cups, medium-large
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 thyme sub ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, sprig, fresh
• 1 rosemary sub ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, sprig
• 2 bay leaf
• 1 28- oz whole peeled tomatoes or crushed tomatoes, canned
• 5 cups water
• 1 tablespoon salt plus more to taste as needed
• 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
• 1 Parmesan Cheese optional, rind
• 1 swiss chard stems and leaves chopped, bunch
• 1 cannellini beans drained and rinsed, can
• 1 zucchini diced, medium
• 1 ½ cups green beans diced

For the Parsley Pistou:

• 1 clove garlic finely minced or grated
• ½ cup parsley finely chopped, fresh
• ½ - ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil to taste
• salt to taste