Wow, it got chilly fast, we are only into the second week of September and already have a taste of it. My youngest son is already yelling to put the heat on, NO WAY! I will not do that until it is absolutely necessary. To warm him up I made a pot of Tuscan Bean Soup today. Is there any other way to warm up, I mean except for alcohol and a bon fire, and who doesn't like those two things together in the cooler months. He is old enough to drink, but thankfully doesn't do much of that since he is vegan and a health nut, so soup is on the menu for him tonight.
I got busy in the kitchen, already had the pantry stocked up for soup season, so I didn't have to run to the store for anything. That is always good in my book, because once I leave the house and have to come back and do things, I can't get motivated. This soup is pretty easy and fast to make, the recipe is below.
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All of my ingredients and sauteing the veggies.
Vegetable stock and herbs in, then drain and rinse the beans. It's really starting to look quite tasty!
I used this spinach, it's already washed, I just tore the stems off I don't like seeing them when I eat it.
Toss the spinach in the pot last and let it cook down.
How good does that look? Because it smells fantastic......
warms the belly and it's soooo good!
Tuscan Bean Soup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, medium dice
4 carrots, medium dice
3 stalks celery with leaves, medium dice
1/2 medium green zucchini, cubed
1/2 medium yellow zucchini, cubed
2 bulbs of fennel, core removed, cut into thirds and sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, more if you like heat
3 sprigs fresh thyme, mince or just throw in sprigs, be sure to remove before serving
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 - 32 oz containers Vegetable Stock
3 - 15 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 - 15 oz cans diced tomatoes, do not drain
2 1/2 cups fresh spinach, stems removed (wash thoroughly if not pre-washed)
Fresh grated Parmigiano - Reggiano cheese
Directions
Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, on medium-high heat, in a large soup pot or Dutch Oven. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini and fennel. Saute for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook for about a minute. Stir in the stock, beans and tomatoes, bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and add the spinach. Cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with grated cheese on top and crusty bread to sop up all the broth. Makes 10-12 servings.
NOTE: If you want to thicken the soup, use an immersion blender for just a few seconds, as you do not want to puree the whole pot of soup! You can also use a regular blender, wash with hot water first, be careful as the glass could shatter from the heat of the soup. Take out about 1 1/2 cups of soup and blend in the blender, pour back into the soup.
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