Hearty, Healthy, Vegan Italian Tuscan Bean Soup

Soup is what's on the menu alot in my house lately.  With the cold weather in the air, it warms you and fills you up fast.  Soup is one of those dishes you can make out of anything that you already have in your pantry and/or refrigerator, it's that easy, and doesn't take long to cook.  I made Vegan Italian Tuscan Bean Soup yesterday, and the aroma all through the house was fantastic!  This is how I made it, recipe below. 

To print the recipe, click on it, highlight and print.

All of this went into my pot to make my soup.

 Chopped onion and celery, I even use the celery leaves they add great flavor and texture.

Add all the remaining ingredients and let it simmer on the stove.

 What you get when it's done, is a big bowl of flavorful soup for lunch or dinner, that not only tastes good but is good for you.  I topped mine with a few croutons and fresh shaved Parmesan cheese. To keep it totally vegan top with a vegan shredded cheese or cubes of tofu.  Dig in!

Vegan Italian Tuscan Bean Soup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 large sweet onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 large carrots, peeled and diced

4 stalks celery with leaves, diced

1 green zucchini, cubed, leave skin on 

1 yellow zucchini, cubed, leave skin on

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, more if you like heat

2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon, dry

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped or 1 1/2 teaspoons, dry

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley or 2 teaspoons dry 

2 teaspoons kosher salt, or regular salt, omit or lower if watching salt

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

2 - 32 oz. containers vegetable stock, not broth

3 - 14.5 oz. cans diced petite tomatoes with juice

4 - 15.5 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 bags escarole and radicchio mix, pick through for tough ribs

2 tablespoons raw sugar, optional

Directions

In a large soup pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion and cook until tender.  Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes just until fragrant but not burnt.  Add the carrots, celery, zucchini, pepper flakes, thyme, rosemary, parsley, salt and pepper.  Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add the vegetable stock, tomatoes, beans and sugar, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and add the escarole, stir to combine.  Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occassionally.  Just before serving, if you like your soup a little thicker and less chunky, you can use an immersion blender to smooth some of the texture of the soup. If you don't have an immersion blender use a regular blender/Ninja blender, but you will have to let the soup cool before you put it in the glass or plastic container, it will shatter!  Take 2-3 ladles of soup out of the pot and into another pan. Use the immersion blender to partially smooth it out, then pour back into the soup pot.  Top your soup with croutons and cheese before serving. Makes 10 - 12 servings.