Pasta & Bean Soup

Provided by EatingWell.com

Using basic canned goods and a few other staples, you can make this comforting soup in just minutes. The trick to achieving a full-bodied homemade flavor from canned chicken broth is to freshen it up with a handful of herbs, some garlic cloves and crushed red pepper. For a meatier flavor, add a little crumbled cooked Italian turkey sausage to the soup.

RECIPE OVERVIEW

Serves 8 Prep Time 15 min. Total Time 35 min. Nutrition Profile: Diabetes Appropriate   Healthy Weight   Heart Healthy   High Fiber   Low Calorie   Low Carb   Low Cholesterol   Low Sat Fat   Low Sodium

INGREDIENTS

4 14-ounce c reduced-sodium chicken broth

6 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled

4 4-inch spr fresh rosemary, or 1 tablespoon dried

1/8-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 15-1/2-oun cannellini, (white kidney) beans, rinsed, divided

1 14-1/2-oun diced tomatoes

1 cup medium pasta shells, or orecchiette

2 cups individually quick-frozen spinach, (6 ounces) (see Ingredient note)

6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, (optional)

6 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese

COOKING DIRECTIONS

Step 1 
Combine broth, garlic, rosemary and crushed red pepper in a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven or soup pot; bring to a simmer. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes to intensify flavor. Meanwhile, mash 1 cup beans in a small bowl.

Step 2 
Scoop garlic cloves and rosemary from the broth with a slotted spoon (or pass the soup through a strainer and return to the pot). Add mashed and whole beans to the broth, along with tomatoes; return to a simmer. Stir in pasta, cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is just tender, 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 3 
Stir in spinach, cover and cook just until the spinach has thawed, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each serving with a drizzle of oil, if desired, and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Variation: Substitute chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for the cannellini beans; use a food processor to puree them.

RECIPE TIPS

Ingredient Note: Individually quick-frozen (IQF) spinach is sold in convenient plastic bags. If you have a 10-ounce box of spinach on hand, use just over half of it and cook according to package directions before adding to the soup in Step 3.