Tomato & White Bean Vegetable Soup (Vegetarian)

HotWifey's Note:

Fantastic for cold evenings (though I like it any time) and comes together within about 30-40 minutes from start to finish! I prefer to use organic broth, beans & produce wherever possible. While not a "traditional" mix of vegetables, it is great for families with children who don't want big chunks of tomatoes, onions, etc. floating in their soup.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6-8

Yield: 8.0 cups

• 32 ounces vegetable broth
• 2 (15 ounce) cans white beans
• 1 lb fresh asparagus , cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 carrots , peeled and sliced into thin coins
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• salt & pepper
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons minced onions
• 1 tablespoon mixed Italian herbs
• 1 ½ cups water
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 dash cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Start by sauteeing garlic, crushed red pepper & onion in the olive oil in a large stewpot. After about 20-30 seconds over medium heat, add asparagus and carrots, raise heat slightly and continue to stir occasionally for 5-6 minutes.
2. Add vegetable broth, tomato paste & water and bring to a simmer, stirring until tomato paste is well incorporated. Add chopped herbs (I love fresh basil, thyme & oregeno, but I also use Mrs. Dash when I don't have anything fresh on hand), sugar and salt. I don't measure salt, but I'd guess I use about 1/2-1 teaspoons Allow this to simmer, covered for about 10 minutes.
3. Add 2 cans of white beans (do NOT drain them as the liquid packed in the beans help the soup to thicken) and bring back to a simmer. At this point, taste the broth and add cayenne or a bit more salt to adjust to your preference. Add corn and baby spinach, stirring gently, and simmer for an additional 5-6 minutes.
4. I love to serve this with garlic toast, cheese quesadillas, or just by itself topped with a bit of parmesan cheese.

Reviews

[Laurel :)]

Great vegetarian soup! I thought it was a bit too sweet, so I will add less sugar next time. My husband loved the spiciness. Since I didn't have white beans, I used a can of garbanzos and a can of kidney beans, which worked well.

[Aram]

A very pleasing soup. It was very easy to prepare and the combination of spices gave it a little bit of an edgy, spicy taste. I'd like to try it again using kale when my CSA share starts coming this spring.