Bistro Bean Soup

This hearty soup is packed with fiber-rich canned beans and the tomatoes are rich in lycopene, which may help prevent certain cancers, and in vitamin C, which helps your body use the iron in canned beans. Using canned products makes preparing this dish a snap!

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 8

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil
• 1⁄2 cup onion, chopped
• 8  ounces  reduced-fat smoked turkey sausage (sliced 1/4-inch thick)
• 14 1⁄2 ounces  unsalted undrained stewed tomatoes (one can)
• 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 (14 1/2ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2  teaspoons  minced thyme leaves or 1  teaspoon  dried thyme leaves ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened. Add sausage and cook for 5 minutes, until sausage is lightly browned. Add tomatoes, 1 can beans, 1 can broth and thyme.
2. Heat to simmering and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Combine remaining beans and broth in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Stir the purée into soup and bring to a boil; simmer for 5 minutes, then reduce heat and simmer for about 3 minutes. Season with black pepper.
5. Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories 180; Total fat 5g; Saturated fat 1g; Cholesterol 15mg; Sodium 570mg; Carbohydrate 22g; Fiber 5g; Protein 11g.