White Bean and Farro Grain Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium to large red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (to save time, you can use minced garlic in a jar; you can find jarred garlic in the refrigerated produce section of your local grocery store)
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 medium diced, peeled potato
• 15 ounce can chopped tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons fresh, chopped rosemary (substitute 2 teaspoons dry rosemary if fresh is unavailable)
• 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped sage (substitute 2 teaspoons dry sage if fresh is unavailable)
• 2 tablespoons fresh, chopped marjoram (substitute 2 teaspoons dry marjoram if fresh is unavailable)
• 5 cups vegetable stock (to save time, use vegetarian bullion cubes to make vegetable stock; omit salt if you use bullion instead of fresh stock)
• 1 cup farro, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups canned white beans (well rinsed)
• Salt and fresh pepper to taste

Instructions

• Rinse well and drain the white beans. Rinsing away the liquid around canned beans can help cut down on the amount of gas you may experience from beans.
• In a large pot, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion. Saute while stirring lightly until onions are soft (5 to 7 minutes).
• Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Do not overcook garlic. If garlic starts to brown, turn down the heat.
• Add celery, diced potato, canned tomatoes, sage, rosemary, and marjoram. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes, stirring often.
• Add vegetable stock and stir to combine.
• Bring soup to a boil and add farro and beans.
• Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 35 minutes (add water as needed to keep soup to desired consistency).
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve and enjoy.

Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 298 calories; 49 grams of carbohydrates; 12 grams of protein; 6 grams of fat; 8.5 grams of fiber

% of calories: 66% carbohydrates, 16% protein, 18% fat

**For farro, try a "health food" type of grocery store, such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, or order online from Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, Mich., or Dean & DeLuca in New York City.