Italian White Bean Soup

Chase away the cold with a hot, healthy serving of this soup filled with vegetables, beans and whole wheat pasta. This soup is rich in fiber, plant-based protein and phytonutrients. Garnish with fresh tomatoes or a pesto.

Serves:

• 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 ½ cups fennel, diced
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup carrots, peeled and diced
• ¾ cup celery, diced
• ½ cup white potato, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp dried sage (or 1Tbsp fresh sage, chopped)
• ¼ tsp dried thyme (or 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped)
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth, preferably low sodium
• 1-15oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, preferably low sodium
• ¼ cup whole wheat soup pasta, such as Acini di Pepe, orzo or ditalini
• ½ Tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, add the onions, fennel and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
2. Stir in the carrots, celery, potato, garlic, sage and thyme and ¼ tsp salt. Sauté about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
3. Pour in ½ cup of broth to deglaze the pot and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.
4. Add remaining broth. Cover. Bring to a boil. Add soup pasta and beans. Simmer until pasta is cooked and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Just before serving, stir in lemon juice, parsley and basil. Taste for salt and pepper.

Source:

• The Cancer Fighting Kitchen by Rebecca Katz