Italian Vegetable Soup with Ricotta Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups carrots, chopped
• 2 cups packed baby spinach
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups frozen cut green beans
• 1 Tbs chopped parsley or basil
• 1 cup zucchini, chopped
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• 2 1/2 Tbs romano cheese, finely shredded or grated
• 3/4 cup celery, chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt plus some pepper to season
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 Tbs Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup onion, chopped