Tuscan White Bean & Spinach Soup

Still soup weather. It's snowing … again! Just made this for supper. It was fast and delicious!

Tuscan White Bean & Spinach Soup
Serves 8
The Ingredients: 
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 - 32 oz. boxes low sodium chicken broth, or vegetable stock
2 cups water
14 1⁄2 oz can diced tomatoes
I also added 1 can Rotel tomatoes, HOT
2 - 14 1⁄2 oz cans cannellini beans or other white beans
1 cup whole wheat pasta shells, or shell pasta
2 tsp rosemary
Baby spinach, cleaned and trimmed
1⁄4 tsp black pepper
Shredded cheese for garnish

The Directions:
In a large soup pot, saute onion & garlic in olive oil.
Add broth, water, tomatoes, beans and rosemary to pot. Season with black pepper. Bring to boil.
Add pasta and cook 12 minutes. If the soup seems too thick for your liking add a bit more broth.
Add spinach and cook about 1 min, until wilted. Serve with shredded cheese.

Easy Vegetable Soup ~ for Liadan

I just read that spring is 33 days away! Seems like forever! This has been a long, brutal winter and I'm still in soup making mode. Recipes for vegetable soup vary from kitchen to kitchen and cook to cook. Often, recipes are based on local produce. When I make this soup, I usually add ditalini pasta, short little tubes like elbows, but shorter and without a bend. I think they're perfect for this hearty recipe.



















Easy Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
3 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
1-14-1/2-ounce can Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1-16 oz. loose-pack frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 handfuls ditalini pasta
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. In a soup kettle, combine the water, undrained tomatoes, chicken broth, basil, oregano and pepper. Bring to boiling. Stir in frozen vegetables and pasta. I had leftover green beans in the frig so I tossed those in as well.
2. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 to 6 minutes or until frozen vegetables and pasta are tender. Stir in beans and parsley. Heat through. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top. Serves 8.

Black Bean Soup

Best Ever Black Bean Soup

3 cans of seasoned black beans (drained, not rinsed), 1 can mashed
2 - 10 oz. cans chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
White Rice (I used minute rice. Follow instructions on box for 4 people)

In a large pot saute onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add water, chili powder and cumin and stir. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 15 mins. Place a cup of rice in a bowl and pour in soup; garnish with fresh cilantro. Tastes even better the next day.

For Meatless Monday it's Minestrone

Easy Minestrone
This is my favorite version of Minestrone. I'm sure there are are as many ways to make it as there are cooks. I like to use small pasta such as tubetti, orzo or ditalini in this hearty, easy-to-make soup. Look for an "Italian Blend" of frozen zucchini, carrots, broccoli, and beans in your supermarket's frozen section. I usually end up using the California blend (carrots, broccoli and cauliflower) just because I can't always get the Italian.  :)
Serves 4 to 6
The Ingredients.
48 oz box low-sodium vegetable broth
1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can Italian diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup pasta, dry (see above)
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen vegetables (see above)
Frozen or canned whole kernel corn
1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
The Directions. 
1. Bring broth, beans, and tomatoes to boil in a large pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth mixture and pasta and simmer until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in vegetables and basil and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.  I like to serve this with grated sharp cheddar cheese.

Meatless Monday's Mother Hubbard Soup

I love making soup, but Tom doesn't really like eating soup, so I don't make it very often. But sometimes, when the weather is cold and snowy and I really want to stay inside where it's WARM, I just have to make soup. Like today! It snowed most of the day and it was a nasty commute ... actually it's still snowing ... so I made soup. I didn't use a recipe. I just used what I had on hand in my cupboard. I started with vegetable broth and added to it from the pantry. A can of this and some of that. Turns out great every time!
Mother Hubbard's Soup
Ingredients:
48 oz. box vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black  beans,  rinsed and drained
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans diced Italian tomatoes, including juice
1-16 oz bag frozen crinkle cut carrots
Handful tubetti pasta (or macaroni)
1/2 bag fresh baby spinach, stems removed
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (omit if you don't like hot)
1/2 tsp. oregano
Shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Put broth in large soup pot. Add carrots and cook until they are tender but not mushy. Add the other ingredients. Just before serving, add spinach and cook until it wilts, 1-2 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and crusty rolls.

Make Soup . . . For Meatless Monday

Last week was a busy week followed by an even busier weekend. I wanted to make something quick and easy and hearty for supper, without another trip to the grocery store. I scrounged around in the cupboard and came up with the following. I'm calling it:
Crazy Day Soup
Ingredients:
64 oz. vegetable broth
1 - 16 oz. package frozen cauliflower
Orzo (I used what I had left in the bag)
1 can Italian diced tomatoes, including juice
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Pinch black pepper (or more, depends on your preference)
Shredded cheddar cheese to pass
Directions:
Add broth to soup pot. Bring to boil. Add cauliflower and reduce heat to simmer. When cauliflower is cooked, add tomatoes, red and black beans and spices. Let simmer together for 10 minutes. Add orzo and simmer until orzo is cooked but not mushy. Serve with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and a side of crusty bread.

Soup's On!

The air is crisp and cool. It's soup weather here in Minnesota. I love making soup for supper. The kitchen feels so cozy as it simmers and bubbles on the stove. Since we've become empty-nesters, we eat all our meals at our little drop-leaf kitchen table. This is really healthy soup that's easy to put together. It was good the day I made it but was really awesome by the second day!
Notes: If you're using imported Parmesan, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, add a piece of the rind to the soup in step 2 for extra flavor. While the soup simmers, brush some slices of country bread with olive oil and toast them, to serve with the hot soup.
6 servings

Spinach and White Bean Soup
Ingredients:
Baby spinach (about 1 lb.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 quart chicken broth
2-3 cups water
3 cans (15 oz. each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Italian-diced tomatoes, including juice
About 1/2 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese (see notes)
Salt and fresh-ground pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
Preparation:
1. Pour oil into a 4- to 5-quart pan over medium heat. Add garlic; stir often until soft. Add broth and 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally.
2. Add 1 can drained beans and mash with potato masher. Add remaining beans and can of diced tomatoes. Stir occasionally until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Add spinach and allow to wilt. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and add basil, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls; offer more Parmesan to add at the table.

Old Mother Hubbard comes to my rescue ...

Today is Meatless Monday at our house. I didn't want to go out for groceries and like Old Mother Hubbard, pickings in my cupboard were slim, so I decided to make do with what I had on hand. I opted to make a vegetarian soup, with a nice variety of beans for fiber and protein. And even though it's summer, my soup tasted just right, hearty and satisfying.

OLD MOTHER HUBBARD'S CAULIFLOWER - BEAN SOUP
1 large can vegetable broth
1/4 - 1/2 cup orzo (optional)
1 bag frozen cauliflower
1 can Italian diced tomatoes
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional) I like spicy. This might be too much.
Grated cheese (optional)

Add vegetable broth to soup kettle. Add diced tomatoes, orzo and frozen cauliflower. Cook at slow boil until orzo and cauliflower are done. Add beans and seasonings. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of grated cheese and hard rolls. I wish I'd had fresh spinach to add, for the color and nutritional value.

Something new ...

I've read that Moroccan cuisine, a mixture of European and African cooking, is the last of the great undiscovered cuisines. It's definitely a style of cooking I'm not familiar with. Located in Northwest Africa, with Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines, Morocco is a land steeped in mystery and adventure, a place where the sun is warm and the people are enigmatic. To me it is a far away place where the exotic cities of Tangier, Marrakesh and Casablanca beckon with the lure of a camel ride across the desert or snake charmers in a crowded market.

Included in Moroccan cooking are the tasty dishes of the workers and peasants. In their daily meals, little meat is used. Grains and vegetables are combined with numerous herbs and spices to produce savory and satisfying fare. The herbs used: chervil, garlic, fresh coriander leaves, mint and parsley are blended with these spices: aniseed, cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, paprika, pepper, saffron, turmeric and ras el-hanout (a blend of spices) to produce mouth-watering dishes. To give these non-meat creations even more zest, onions, olives, pickled lemons, almonds and sesame seeds are utilized extensively.

Soups are the mainstay of the Moroccan people and at times their only meal of the day. They're based mostly on chickpeas and lentils. Infused with herbs and spices, they become delightful creations.

I just got this easy recipe from my Gather friend, Shan. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to make it. I think next time, I'll add cumin and sweet paprika, but it was delicious just the way it is here. The cinnamon gave it a new and interesting flavor that I loved with the bite of the cayenne.

MOROCCAN CHICKPEA SOUP
4 cups chicken broth (or use vegetable)
2 cups cooked chickpeas (I used 2 cans of chick peas, rinsed and drained)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can artichokes, drained and chopped
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t basil
1/2 t oregano
1/4 t cayenne
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (I didn't add any salt)
Couple handfuls fresh baby spinach
Bring everything to a simmer in large soup pot over medium low heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook another 5 minutes or so.
Serve with pita bread.

Texas hot ...

Anyone who knows me knows I'm all about simple recipes with lots of flavor. I like recipes that are uncomplicated and straightforward. This yummy soup recipe definitely fits the bill. You can put it together quickly when you get home from work and it will provide a hearty meal for your family. Just round it out with cornbread or tortilla chips!

TEXAS RICE AND BEAN SOUP
1 pkg. Schilling HOT chili seasoning mix
3 cups cooked rice (I like to use brown rice)
48 oz. Swanson's low-sodium chicken broth
1-14 1/2 oz. can Mexican stewed tomatoes, cut in smaller pieces
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped green onions
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
I cook my rice in the microwave. It takes about 15 minutes. I start it first and then I put the other ingredients together in a Dutch oven and mix well. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add the cooked rice last. If the rice simmers too long it may become mushy. Garnish each serving with shredded Monterey Jack cheese. For an extra kick, add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Serves 6.

Thursday night is soup night!

In my humble opinion, a big bowl of hot soup, served with crusty bread and REAL butter, is a perfect supper on a cold winter night. I made a fast and delicious soup tonight by combining a few vegetables with chicken broth and Mezzi Tubetti pasta, a very short durum wheat semolina pasta, which originated in the Campania region in Italy. I only used things I had on hand, since I didn't have time to go to the grocery store. I think my soup recipe is a keeper!
THURSDAY NIGHT SOUP
Ingredients:
48 oz. low sodium chicken broth
1-16 oz. bag frozen cauliflower
1/2 bag frozen corn
A couple handfuls tubetti pasta
1 can Italian diced tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Shredded cheese (optional)
Directions:
Put chicken broth in large pot and bring to a boil. Add cauliflower, corn and pasta and cook briskly for about 8 minutes. Add all of the other ingredients and simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve in bowls sprinkled with shredded cheese.

Black-eyed Pea Soup for New Year's

Anyone who reads my blog knows I love to make soup. It's a satisfying and cozy way to spend time in the kitchen. This hearty, filling soup was no exception. I made it by combining several recipes and served it with cornbread slathered in butter and honey. It was a great meal and a wonderful way to start the new year. I like the way 2010 sounds. It has a nice ring to it, deep and full-bodied like a good wine!

NEW YEAR'S BLACK-EYED PEA SOUP
Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day brings good luck for the new year!
INGREDIENTS:
1 (16-ounce) bag black-eyed peas
2 cups diced smoked lean ham
1 large onion, chopped
1 bag matchstick carrots
3 garlic cloves, minced
48 oz low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 bag fresh spinach
DIRECTIONS:
One package of dried peas is about 2 cups (4 cups soaked). Rinse peas in large pot. Sort out any hard or misshapen peas, or anything that looks like it doesn’t belong. Bad peas usually float to the top. Cover peas with water. Let stand overnight (at least 8 hours). Drain soak water, rinse peas in fresh cold water. Add 6 cups of hot water (or enough to cover the top of the peas). Add ham. Cover peas. Simmer gently with lid tilted until desired tenderness is reached (1 1/2 - 2 hours). Skim off foam.
Saute garlic, onion and carrots over medium heat until vegetables are tender. Add to black-eyed peas and ham mixture; bring mixture to a boil. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, black pepper, red pepper, oregano and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer. Stir in spinach. Remove bay leaf. Serve with grated cheddar cheese and cornbread.

This "Pea" Stands for Prosperity

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day brings good luck for
the entire year!

It wouldn’t be New Year’s in some parts of the country without black-eyed peas. Many families eat them on New Year’s Day for good luck. My husband's family is from the south and the smell of a big pot of these faithful little peas, simmering on the kitchen stove, always takes me back to my mother-in-law's kitchen. Even though we live in Minnesota, we've adopted this fun tradition.

The "good luck" part of eating the black-eyed peas goes like this: if you start the New Year dining in humility (eating the peas), you will become more prosperous as the year progresses. Actually, black-eyed peas aren’t peas at all but legumes, a member of the bean family. Some serve the peas with greens and cornbread. According to tradition, the peas represent coins, the greens symbolize paper money, and the cornbread stands for gold. I've heard that some cooks add a penny to the cooking pot; the person who gets the dished up coin will be showered with good fortune all year long.

And finally, it's the last day of 2009 and the last day of December, which means I've achieved my goal of posting something on my blog every day for a month. It's been fun and rewarding for me. Hope you, my wonderful readers, have enjoyed it, too! And I hope you’re cozy and warm this New Year's Eve, wherever you are. It's bitterly cold here. My blog will officially be one year old in January. I never expected to have a blog, let alone post on it for an entire year. I have amazed myself!

Remember that the new year is a chance to start over with a clean slate. That's such a wonderful, positive opportunity! 2010 has potential- like the seeds of a cottonwood. All new beginnings do, and we shouldn’t wait until a new year to make change happen. Why not September? Or May? And when we make mistakes, why not be forgiving to ourselves, get back up and start again?May 2010 be peaceful, prosperous and happy for each one of you!

Traditional Black-eyed Peas Recipe
1 package of black-eyed peas (about 2 cups)
1 ham hock
a pinch of salt and pepper
Rinse peas in large pot. One package of dried peas is about 2 cups (4 cups soaked)
Sort out any pieces of grit, hard or misshapen peas, or anything that looks like it just doesn’t belong! Let stand overnight (at least 8 hours)
Drain soak water, rinse peas in fresh cold water. Add 6 cups of hot water (or enough to cover the top of the peas). Add the pork or a ham hock. You can add fatback, a little bacon grease, or bits of bacon. A ham hock is a good choice because most of the flavor comes from the bone.
Cover peas. Simmer gently with lid tilted until desired tenderness is reached (1 1/2 or 2 hours).
You can serve the peas over white rice. Some people prefer brown. You can also spoon them over cornbread (and include the juice). I've read that you can add Goya ham-flavored concentrate to your black-eyed peas and ham hock to spice them up. It’s like a ham bouillon. Just keep adding water to the peas if needed to avoid them turning to mush.
I'll add chicken broth and an onion to my peas, along with garlic, celery, carrots and tomatoes. I'll toss in spinach at the end. Should make a lovely hearty soup to start the year out right!

Grandma's Wild Rice Soup Recipe

This is my mom's soup recipe. She found it in the St. Paul paper years ago. My daughter served it for dinner on Christmas Eve. It was wonderful, creamy and full of flavor! This is a perfect Christmas Eve supper. You can make it ahead ... and it tastes even better after the ingredients have a chance to blend and meld! It also freezes well.
Grandma's Chicken & Wild Rice Soup Recipe
4 cups cooked wild rice (about 1 cup uncooked wild rice)
4 1/2 quarts chicken broth
1 1/2 # cooked, diced chicken
1 onion, diced
4 tsp. minced garlic
4 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
2 carrots, peeled and diced (or slivered)
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup diced ham, optional
1 quart cream
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
In large pot, combine stock, chicken, onion, garlic, thyme, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil. In small sauce pan, melt butter over low heat. Sprinkle with flour. Cook, stirring with whisk, for 3-5 minutes, or until mixture is golden. Add to stock mixture. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add carrots, celery and ham. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add cream. Return to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in wild rice and almonds. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serves 10-12

Soup ... Glorious Soup!

Everyone knows soup is the perfect comfort food for cold, blustery days. And anyone who reads my blog regularly knows I love soup. I love making it and I love eating it! There's something infinitely satisfying about chopping vegetables, sauteing garlic or adding just the right combination of herbs and spices. Sometimes I feel like an artist putting dabs of paint on a canvas ... a little pinch of this and a drop of that added to the soup pot and voila! I have created a masterpiece! This is a really easy Tuscan style white bean and spinach soup recipe. Mini meatballs could be included here, but I baked 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead, cubed the chicken and added it to the soup. You may need to add additional chicken broth or water as the soup cooks down.
Hearty Tuscan White Bean Soup
• 1/4 cup EVOO
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 - 10 oz. pkg. matchstick carrots (I like lots of carrots)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 49 1/2 oz. can chicken broth
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, any variety (rinse & drain)
• 1/2 pkg. fresh spinach
• 1 1/2 cups macaroni, uncooked (I used Mezzi Tubetti pasta)
• salt and pepper
• grated Parmesan cheese, and or Pecorino Romano cheese, to serve
1. Heat the oil in a 4 quart soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, garlic & carrots and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes thyme, pepper and bay leaf.
4. Drain the beans and roughly mash 1/2 a can of beans. Add the beans and mashed beans to the pot.
5. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. Add the macaroni and cook until tender according to package directions. (About 10 minutes.).
7. Add spinach. It will wilt/cook quickly.
8. Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan and/or Pecorino Romano.

"Souper" Saturday

I've been hungry for soup, something on the spicy side, with lots of flavor. I tossed together a few ingredients I had on hand and it was delicious. The only thing I didn't have that I wanted was fresh spinach. That would have been the perfect finishing touch.
MY SUPER SOUP
Ingredients:
3 seasoned chicken breasts, baked & cubed
1 large can chicken broth
1 onion, diced
carrots, cut in thin matchsticks
2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
1 can hominy, rinsed & drained
1 can corn, rinsed & drained
1 small can fire roasted peppers
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Directions:
While chicken is baking, saute onion and carrots in Dutch oven or large pot. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add beans, hominy, corn, peppers, chicken and herbs. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add more chicken broth if needed. Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Healthy and savory Italian favorite ...

I wanted something I could make without going to the grocery store. Turns out I had all the ingredients to make this hearty soup. It has that simmered-all-day flavor but takes just minutes to prepare. I love the spinach ... it adds color, texture and lots of nutrition!
TORTELLINI SOUP
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 package (9 oz) cheese-filled tortellini
3 large carrots, peeled & sliced into coins
1 can Italian diced tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 - 6 oz bag baby spinach
Grated parmesan cheese
1. In a large pot, bring broth, water and Italian seasoning to a boil. Add tortellini and simmer for 3 minutes. Add carrots and simmer for an additional 4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and beans. Add spinach and simmer for 2 more minutes or until the vegetables are tender and spinach is wilted.
2. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.

Katie's good cookin'!

This is another one of my daughter Katie's recipes from her favorite cookbook, The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift (Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2008).
Escarole simmered in good broth with a little wine, tomato, pasta and chickpeas is pure Italian comfort food! You can cook the soup a day ahead, up to adding the pasta. When you want to serve it, bring it to a simmer 10 minutes ahead and then add in the pasta.
SOUP WITH FRESH GREENS AND TINY PASTA
Serves 6 to 8 as a first course; 4 to 6 as a light main dish
Prep time 15 minutes; stove time 35 minutes.
INGREDIENTS:
8 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup whole canned tomatoes, crushed with your hands (do not use canned crushed tomatoes)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 medium to large onion, minced
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 large handfuls escarole or curly endive leaves, fine chopped (2-1/2 to 3 cups)
1/3 tight-packed cup fresh basil leaves, fine chopped
1/2 cup tiny pasta (alphabets, orzo or stars)
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
1 cup or more fresh-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1. In a 6-quart pot combine the broth, wine, and tomatoes. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Add the garlic, onion, chickpeas, greens, and basil. Simmer partially covered 20 minutes.
2. Stir in the pasta and simmer, partially covered, 6 minutes or until pasta is tender. Taste soup for seasoning. Serve hot, passing the cheese to be sprinkled on the soup as its final seasoning.

My favorite soup recipe ...

You really have to try this soup recipe. It's chock full of great flavor and ingredients. We like it on the hot side, but you can make it as spicy as your family likes by adding or subtracting some of the spicier ingredients.

WHITE BEAN CHICKEN CHILI
4 (15 oz.) cans fat-free chicken broth
1 bag small carrots, sliced in thin rounds
1 medium chopped onion
2 teaspoons garlic powder (I use 2 garlic cloves, minced)
1 small can chopped green chilies
1 small can HOT chopped green chilies
1-1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. parsley (use fresh if you have it)
1-3 dashes of Tabasco sauce (I use more)
3 boneless chicken breasts, baked, cooled, cubed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
3 (15 oz.) cans great northern beans, drained

In a large pot, add first six ingredients. Cook until very hot. Add corn, beans, spices, and Tabasco sauce. Bring to a boil. Add chicken. Simmer 30 minutes. Serves 6. You may need to add more chicken broth.

Home-made chicken noodle soup ...

There's nothing better for your body or your soul than chicken soup from scratch, a proven cold, hangover and bad-mood-cure. It's soothing and comforting, something we all need when we're under the weather. I have to admit I always use chicken stock from a can, but at least I get the low sodium variety!

EASY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP WITH VEGETABLES AND EGG NOODLES
Ingredients:
• 2 large cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• carrots, thinly sliced
• celery, thinly sliced
• onion to taste
• 6 oz. uncooked egg noodles
• 3 cooked chicken breasts, cubed
• 1/2 tsp. dried leaf thyme
• chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
Preparation:
Combine chicken broth, pepper, carrot, celery, onion, bay leaf, parsley and poultry seasoning in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; add noodles and boil for 5 minutes. Add cooked chicken and boil for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until noodles are tender. Remove bay leaf. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley just before serving. I suggest cooking the noodles separately and adding them to the soup just before serving.