The Best Tuscan Vegetable Soup

I mentioned this soup (and how I ate it in mass quantities) a few posts ago and have been meaning to post the recipe for ages. It's from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger who's one of those "let's eat healthy!" women on the Food Network. I actually kind of hate her show, but I mostly really really like her cookbook. I say mostly because although I am a fan of finding new ways to make lower fat and better for you main dishes, soups, salads, and appetizers (which she does VERY well), I am NOT a fan of making lower fat and better for you desserts, and she is a big fan of low fat and better for you desserts. NO FUN.

However, her non-dessert dishes do tend to be excellent (if you add about thirteen tons of salt--in addition to eating desserts that clog my arteries, I also ingest about ten times too much sodium! Oops!), and she has lots of nifty tricks for making creamy soups creamlessly, one of which is included in this recipe; I list all of Ellie's brilliant tricks for better for you soup here.

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

One 15.5-ounce can cannellini or other small white beans, preferably low sodium (boo), drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)

2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)

1 small zucchini (about 1/2 pound), diced (about 1 1/2 cups) *I always used two or three medium sized zucchinis, but that's just because I love 1) zucchini, and 2) chunky vegetable soups*

1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon) *I always minced at least three cloves of garlic, but that's just because I am a garlic fiend*

1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried *I always used dried because I was too lazy to get fresh*

2 t chopped fresh sage or 1/2 t dried *I used dried. See above.*

1/2 t salt, plus more to taste *Even though I've been bitching about Ellie's penchant for low sodium cooking, I found that this soup didn't need a ton of salt--the flavors really do come through. LIKE MAGIC!*

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper * Are you seriously going to measure out 1/4 teaspoon? Just give your pepper grinder some good solid grinds around the pot*

4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth *I always used vegetable broth. I have no idea if it was low sodium or not. It was whatever Trader Joe's cheapest option was. Because I'm fancy.*

One 14.5-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices *I used Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano*

2 ounces baby spinach leaves (2 cups lightly packed), chopped *I probably used double this. Also, Trader Joe's was out of baby spinach the second time I made this, so I bought regular spinach from the Farmer's Market, tore it into smaller pieces, and added that instead. Both were delicious.*

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional) *But should be mandatory. Cheese improves everything.*

In a small bowl, mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrot, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more. Serve topped with the Parmesan, if desired.

Serves 6 at 1.5 cups per serving.

Excellent Source of Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C.

Good Source of Iron, Magnesium, Niacin, Phosphorus, Protein.

Calories: So Few That You Can Eat Six Bowls in Six Hours and Still Feel Good About Yourself. However, if you do choose to eat six bowls in six hours, it will feel like you are carrying a Tuscan Vegetable Soup Baby (I speak from experience).