Friday, February 11, 2011

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

I wanted a Tuscan Bean Soup. Google that.  Go ahead.  I bet you come up with about 500 soup recipes.  I was baffled so I sat on the floor with my ever increasing collection of cookbooks surrounding me and began my quest the old fashioned way…
Thank you Ellie Kreiger for your cookbook The Food You Crave
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Tuscan Vegetable Soup (adapted from Ellie Kreiger’s The Food You Crave)

Ingredients

  • 2 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 2 stalks celery, diced, (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, optional

Directions

In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.
Serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.
**This was a quick and delicious week night meal  I had some whole wheat macaroni left over in the fridge that I also threw in the pot.  A quick and versatile meal?  You know I’ll be making this again and again…
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9 comments:

Peter M said...

Judy, soup was on up here as well...love a bowl of this soup too (-10C in TO)!

kellypea said...

One of my fave bowl of flavors!

Wesley's Girl said...

What healthy goodness! I can't wait to try this!

Saee Koranne-Khandekar said...

Looks perfect for a sniffle-ridden day!

undercover caterer said...

It's been sunny and cold where I live and I've succumbed to the flu. This soup sounds like just the thing to get me going again though. Thanks!

Sammie said...

I love pasta soups! This looks like a heaping bowl of comfort- yum!

Elle said...

Judy, this is such a great soup! I can just taste it now, with a nice hunk of bread to dip in it, too. Love it!

Luxembourg said...

Thank you for sharing his recipe..

Vicki said...

Hey Judy,
It's me Vicki (used to live in Cape Coral,) This recipe looks so yummy! Myself and my daughter,Marnie, are both vegetarians and this is right up my alley. LOVE your site!
Vicki