Tuscan Vegetable Soup

This weekend I opened another of my Soup Swap soups and have enjoyed it the last few days.  I love the rich tomato taste in this one.  And the color from the tomatoes, zucchini and carrots warms the soul.  You could easily make this soup suitable for a vegetarian meal by replacing the chicken stock with vegetable stock.  Or you could go the other way and add leftover (cooked) chicken to make it a little bit heartier.  I had extra grilled lamb steak from a previous night’s dinner and added it for a nice burst of flavor.  Since the lamb had been simply prepared with olive oil, garlic and rosemary the flavors complemented those already in the soup. 

I still have a few containers of soup in the freezer but not too many.  I’ve really loved opening these special packages over the last few weeks and think I’ll plan another event for the fall. 

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

• 1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 small zucchini, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
• Freshly grated Parmesan, optional

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the beans and cook about 3 minutes more.

Serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.