Nothing says autumn like a pot of hot soup

On a crisp autumn day, nothing satisfies our hectic dinnertime like a steaming pot of soup. From the aromas that fill the kitchen as it cooks, to the stick-to-your-bones satisfaction of a healthy meal, we look as forward to cool days that call for soup as much as we do the fall foliage.

Once we discovered that soup doesn't have to take all day to taste great, we started experimenting with all kinds of recipes, traditional to modern. Eleven years later, we're still experimenting and loving the results. Today's recipe is an Italian vegetable soup fancy enough for company in the form of Marvelous Minestrone. It's the whole meal in a bowl, really. All you need is a crusty roll, and then Italian gelato for dessert. Cool days, changing leaves, satisfying soup . . . mmmm, we love fall.

Menu: Marvelous Minestrone

Crusty Italian rolls

Gelato

MARVELOUS MINESTRONE

Start to finish: 25 minutes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion (for about 1 cup chopped)

2 stalks celery (for about 1/2 cup chopped)

10 already peeled baby carrots (for about 1/2 cup thinly sliced)

1/2 pound fresh green beans (for about 1 cup cut)

2 cans (14 ounces each) fat-free chicken broth

1 can (14 ounces) fat-free beef broth

1 can (14- 1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 can (15 to 19 ounces) cannellini beans

1/2 cup uncooked orzo pasta

1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil on medium-high in a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven or soup pot. Peel and coarsely chop the onion, adding it to the pot as you chop. Stir. Coarsely chop the celery and add it to the pot. Stir. Thinly slice the carrots and add them to the pot. Stir. Remove the tough ends of the green beans and cut them in 1/2-inch pieces, adding them to the pot as you cut. Stir.