Soup Love

Do you ever become a little adventurous and want to try new recipes for dinner because they sound so good only to have your little dream of conquering a new meal crushed? I have. Many times. More than I care to remember actually. Well, I finally found a keeper. Yep. It's easy and it tastes so good. And because it's a soup recipe, it's pretty much guaranteed to turn out right! There are so many good things about soup that I love:

1. It's really hard to mess it up - experimentation is welcome!
2. So many variations to try - you really could eat soup for dinner for several weeks and not have a repeat!
3. Generally healthy
4. It's a good "filler" - eating a little bit of soup helps to fill you up before you eat anything else helping to control your appetite and how much you actually eat at a meal. Supposedly.
5. It is so warming during the cold weather season (which we have plenty of these days in NC!)

Read on to check out the recipe for Tuscan Soup and try some for yourself. If you like what's in it, you won't be disappointed!

Tuscan Soup from a Taste of Homes Cookbook
Sent in by Rosemary Goetz from NY

1 Small Onion, chopped
1 Small Carrot, sliced
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Cans (14.5 ounces each) Chicken Broth
1 Cup Water
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Can (15 to 16 ounces) White Kidney or Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 Cups uncooked Spiral Pasta
3 Cups thinly sliced Fresh Escarole or Spinach

1.) In a 2-qt saucepan, saute onion and carrot in oil until onion is tender. Add the broth, water, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Stir in beans and pasta; return to a boil.

2.) Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add escarole or spinach; heat through.

Yield: 4 Servings


*Notes: I doubled the recipe so I would have leftovers for lunch; next time I'm going to try reduced sodium broth since the recipe already calls for salt to be added in. Perhaps adding chicken would be good too!

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 196 calories, 5g fat (1g sat. fat), 0 cholesterol, 1,432mg sodium, 30g carbohydrates, 6g fiber, 9g protein.