Chicken & White Bean Soup With Spinach & Parmesan

This recipe, published in Fitness magazine, is from Rocco Dispirito, a chef and cookbook author and a Fitness magazine advisory board member. He has a cooking show, Rocco Gets Real, which will air on A&E in October 2008. He states that to make soups and stews low-fat, skip the sauteing step. Instead, bring all the ingredients to a simmer together - and serve.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3 (14 ounce) cans low sodium chicken broth
• 1 1⁄2 cups  tomato and basil pasta sauce, plus
• 3  tablespoons  tomato and basil pasta sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 3⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3  boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
•  salt
•  pepper
• 6  ounces  Baby Spinach, prewashed
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped fresh basil
• 3⁄4 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated

Directions

1. In Dutch oven, bring chicken broth, pasta sauce, cannellini beans and crushed red pepper to a simmer.
2. Turn heat to low.
3. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper; add to broth.
4. Gently poach chicken, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes (the broth should barely simmer).
5. Stir in baby spinach.
6. Continue cooking soup until spinach is wilted and chicken is just cooked through, about 2 minutes more.
7. Stir in basil; season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Ladle soup into bowls and top with grated cheese.