pistou provencal (south of france vegetable soup)- hearty, delicious, simple!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 - onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 - leek, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 2 - celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
• 8 ounces carrots, scraped and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 can garbanzo beans/chickpeas (standard 14 oz can)
• 5 cups vegetable stock (home made or store bought)
• 4 - tomatoes, skinned and chopped
• 1 - zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup small pasta shapes of your choice (mini shells are my fave!)
• 1/4 cup pesto (home made or a quality store bought)
• - salt and freshly ground black pepper
• - shredded parmesan cheese (vegans, use nutritional yeast on top instead of parmesan)