A stoup is thicker than soup and thinner than stew. I called my mom one rainy day from the road. I was getting a cold and I really wanted soup for supper. She said she didn't know what she had on hand to make it with, but she'd come up with something. This was it. (Oh, you don't have to be sick to enjoy it.)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomato
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (15-ounce) can small white beans or cannellini beans
• 1 (10 ounces) box, cut frozen green beans
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup fresh basil, torn or shredded
• Grated Parmigiano or Romano, to pass at table
• Crusty bread, to pass at the table

Directions