GLC Soup Series ~ Soup 3: Easy Peasy Greens and Beansies...

...AKA beans and greens or minestra

 

This is likely to be the easiest of all the soup recipes I post for the series--for one reason: it's a wicked versatile soup. You can alter it a million ways with additions (rice, pasta, meat, other veggies, whatever you fancy), varying ingredients (different kinds of white beans, different kinds of broth, different greens, etc.), or make it less a soup and more of a side by using only a little broth. However, since this is a soup series, that's what I did.

Basic Beans and Greens Soup

Ingredients:

1-2 onions, chopped (1 large or 2 small)
5-8 cloves of garlic, chopped
1-2 Tb good olive oil
2-3 quarts vegetable (or chicken) broth
1 & 1/2 cups of cooked (or canned), rinsed, and drained white beans (navy, great northern, or cannellini all work well)
2 lbs of escarole (about 1 large head) washed and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for topping each bowl

Start by sauteing the onions and garlic in the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot (like a dutch oven) over a medium flame. When the onions are translucent, add the beans and season with salt and pepper. To get the beans to take on the flavor of the onions and garlic, let it cook (with a watchful eye) for about 5-10 minutes, adjust the heat to avoid burning. Tip--if you want you can add a sage or bay leaf while sauteing the beans for a little extra flavor.

When the beans have cooked for a bit, add the broth and let it come to a light boil. Once the broth is boiling, add the chopped escarole. Once the escarole is wilted, the soup is ready to eat. Pour yourself (and others) a bowl and add cheese to your liking

For alterations and add ins:

If using greens other than escarole: keep in mind that different greens have different cooking requirements. For example, if you want to use collards, you'll want to cut them up in smaller pieces and cook them longer (I might even saute them along with the beans, then add the broth). If using baby spinach, pour the soup over the spinach in individual bowls, otherwise it can turn kind of slimy.

If using meat (such as, say slices of Italian sausage or pancetta): make sure it is cooked and heated through before adding the broth--usually you can cook these with the onion and garlic--that is to say, add a step before adding the beans by adding the meat before the beans.

If using additional veggies: be sure to cook them appropriately. For example, if you want to add carrots, I would saute them along with the garlic and onion to ensure they are soft by the time the soup is ready.

If adding pasta or rice: cook them separately and add them to each individual portion so the broth isn't all absorbed and the pasta or rice doesn't turn to mush after sitting in the soup for a while.

I like this basic recipe because it's so easy and it can be changed often. After I made this, a few nights later I made it with chicken broth and added chicken sausage. How will you make it?

GLC Soup Series: Review of Imagine's Creamy Tomato Soup (not homemade)

I've been experimenting a bit with soup recipes and trying to decide which one to make and write about next, but in the meantime I thought I might talk about a store-bought soup, that I found to be pretty tasty (after I doctored it, just a bit).

In my first soup series post, I mentioned how I still occasionally have Campbell's tomato soup, even though it's loaded with salt and sugar (that's why it's occasionally). I have yet to make a homemade tomato soup I find to be as comforting (though I'm working on it) as that childhood favorite.

Recently, Imagine brand's Organic Creamy Tomato soup was on special at the HWFC. It is low in sugar and calories (the sodium is quite high, though), and as a quick and easy meal, I thought I'd give it a try.

On it's own, the soup is good, but I wouldn't say it's great. However, when I decided to add (as my mom used to do to Campbell's) some tiny pasta (Tinkyada brown rice gluten free shells), some fresh baby spinach, fresh ground pepper, and some grated Parmesan cheese, it was delicious. It totally had the warming, filling comfort you look for in soup. The tomato flavor seemed to shine against the slight bitterness of the spinach, and the soup soaked into the al dente pasta making it more flavorful. And of course, the fresh pepper and cheese complemented the flavor of all the ingredients.

No, it's not homemade, but when it's doctored a bit, it almost seems like it is. I'll be picking up another box of the soup to have on hand for those cold nights when I want a warm, quick, but satisfying meal.

Other add-ins that might be good: cannellini beans sauteed with garlic and onions, homemade garlic butter croutons, or steamed cauliflower and broccoli--or any combination of those.

Quick Tip: If you do use fresh baby spinach, like I did, I suggest putting the spinach on the bottom of each bowl and then pouring the hot soup over it. That way the spinach cooks a little without wilting to the point of almost disappearing. :)

Buon Appetito!