I had a great Christmas—full of family and good food. Lots and lots of good food. Maybe too much food. Okay, so I overindulged! Who didn’t? I enjoyed every moment of it too. But now it’s a New Year, and I can no longer tell myself—it’s the holidays. Nope. No can do. Thankfully, eating well doesn’t mean eating yucky food.
Healthy food can get a bad wrap for being tasteless. Sure, sometimes it’s well-deserved, but not in this case. This soup rocks. Seriously. It is one tasty soup. It’s nothing fancy or difficult, but it is totally addictive. Almost as addictive as my homemade caramels. Okay, that might be pushing it bit. But it is a really flavorful, healthy soup that you can indulge without any excessive guilt.
It’s also one of those great soups you can use to empty the fridge and adjust to your taste buds. It comes together very quickly and reheats beautifully. I like to pair it with my whole wheat muffins to round out the meal. Here’s to a healthy, delicious meal to kick-off 2012.
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WINTER MINESTRONE
Lightly adapted from The Urban Spork
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 bulb fennel, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-35 oz. can whole tomatoes, lightly crushed
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1-15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
- 1 bunch Swiss Chard, thinly sliced
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese or shredded Italian cheese, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add onion, fennel, potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in vinegar, cannellini beans and Swiss chard and cook until swiss chard is tender, about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with cheese and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
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