CL Testing - Tuscan Vegetable & Bean Soup w/ Cheese Croutons

Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2006

  1 bag pinto beans, soaked and cooked until soft (or 2-3 cans)
1 1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 C celery
2 garlic cloves, chopped
5 cups Chicken stock
2 cups sliced zuchinni
2 cups cubed yukon gold or red potatoes
1 cup green beans (I used 1 can)
1 C sliced carrots
1 can tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 C chopped Kale
 

Set the beans aside and saute in oil onions, celery, and garlic. After 5 minutes, add the stock all the way through the pepper. Simmer for 35 minutes and then add the kale. While the kale cooks down,
for the cheese bread:

take 6 THICK slices of bread (homemade or a thick french bread slice) and place on a cookie sheet. top each slice with a good 2 tbsp of mozzarella cheese and then a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Broil on high until it's toasty and brown. Serve on top of a bowl of soup.

Calories: 237 in 1 1/3C soup and 1 slice of bread
Fat: 7g
Protein: 10g
fiber: 7.3g

Verdict: Pretty yummy. Super low in calories so you can eat A LOT. I found it needed more salt, so I added extra salt and parmesan at the table. I also added about 1 tsp dried basil while simmering and 2 bay leaves. The cheese bread ROCKS. so good dipped in the broth.

Dave's vote: "I like this. It's pretty good. A good way to get my veggies in." I am allowed to make it again, which is impressive since this is a vegetarian dish.