Minestrone Soup

I was watching The Food Network in December and tuned into one of my favorite shows, Everyday Italian.  To many, Giada DeLaurentiis is best known for her, well, cleavage.  But to me, I think she is an amazing chef and about 99.9% of the recipes I’ve made from her show or cookbook have been fabulous.  Her recipes aren’t always light or healthy, but most are clean, and I appreciate that for my health and my family’s.

The following minestrone is an adaptation of hers – which I love because it contains NO NOODLES.  I personally enjoy mine without the bacon or pancetta, while the rest of the world would likely prefer the latter.  To keep mine easier on the waistline I take it out, but you can choose between my recipe and Giada’s.

Whichever way you make it – enjoy!

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound Swiss chard or Kale, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 baking potato, peeled and cubed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, divided
• 2 (14-ounce) cans low-sodium beef broth, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

 Directions

1. In a large, heavy stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the Swiss chard and potato and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomatoes and rosemary sprigs. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chard is wilted and the tomatoes are very soft, about 10 minutes.
5. Place ½ can of the rinsed, drained beans into a blender or food processor along with ½ cup of the broth. Blend until smooth. Add the pureed bean mixture and remaining broth and beans to the vegetable mixture.
6. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
7. Stir in the parsley.
8. Simmer until the soup is thick, about 2 minutes. Discard the rosemary stems (leaves will have fallen off) and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
9. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories 210

Total fat 6 g

Saturated fat 1 g

Trans fat 0 g

Cholesterol 0 mg

Sodium 710 mg

Carbohydrate 30 g

Dietary Fiber 7 g

Protein 11 g