A couple weeks ago I was itching for a simple, veggie-rich recipe that didn’t involve a lot of effort.
I wanted something tasty and healthy that I knew Andy would like and that I could at least hope Grace would try.
Because it’s summer, a lot of the hearty, warm recipes I’m finding seem too heavy and are getting tucked away for fall.
Although soup is considered to be light, most people tend to associate it with cool weather so I almost ruled this recipe out, but I decided to give it a shot.
Lots of veggies….check!
Easy and quick to throw together…check!
Andy loves soup….check!
Throwing veggies into a pot of broth can tend to look like every other “veggies in a pot of broth” recipe that I have laying around. In fact, this soup looks a lot like the Winter Minestrone that I’ve already posted and even the Tortellini in Garlic Broth with White Beans & Greens that we eat often but I haven’t posted yet (just added it to my list though!).
Don’t let this photo phenomenon deter you from trying lots of veggie soups! They really do have their own unique flavors and are worth rotating through your weekly meal plan. This one is really nice and “herby” because of the Thyme and Sage. When you pair it with a warm ciabatta roll like we did, it feels like you’re sitting in an Italian Bistro.
Not really, but a girl can dream :)
Another thing I love about veggie soups is that I can really control the sodium levels by getting low-sodium organic stock (thank you Trader Joes!) and by cooking my own dry beans.
I found this recipe on Foodnetwork.com under Ellie Krieger’s recipes. She’s got a bunch of other good stuff you should check out too!
Tuscan Vegetable Soup
From Ellie Krieger
- 1 (15-ounce) can canellini beans, drained and rinsed (or equivalent quantity of dried beans prepared in advance)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 carrots, diced (about ½ cup)
- 2 stalks celery, diced, (about ½ cup)
- 1 small zucchini, diced (about 1½ cups)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or ½ teaspoon dried)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ 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
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan, optional
- 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, ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ 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.
