White Bean Rosemary Soup

White Bean Rosemary Soup

Beans are full of healthy phytochemicals. In addition to this, beans contain a lot of dietary fiber. This is important because research now suggests that getting fiber from FOOD sources is the key to reducing risk of many cancers, including colon cancer. Fiber from fiber supplements does not appear to reduce risk of colon cancer. Try this tasty recipe for white bean soup to get more fiber and phytochemicals into your diet!

Ingredients

• Two 12- to 15-ounce cans of white beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium-large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced, fresh rosemary (if fresh is not available, try ½ to 1 teaspoon ground, dried rosemary)
• 7 to 8 cups vegetable stock (to save time, use vegetarian bullion cubes)
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• ¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

• Rinse well and drain 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, carrot, and celery. Saute while stirring lightly until vegetables are soft (5 to 10 minutes).
• Add garlic and rosemary and saute for another 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add drained beans and vegetable stock.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently for 20 to 30 minutes.
• After simmering, place 1/3 to ½ of the bean soup in the blender.
• Carefully blend until thick and smooth. Caution: Be very careful when blending, letting steam and heat escape every few seconds, by lifting blender lid slowly throughout blending. If steam and heat build up, the lid can blow off the blender.
• Return blended soup to pot and stir to mix.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle each bowl with a little parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 325 calories; 45 grams of carbohydrates; 16 grams of protein; 9 grams of fat; 10.5 grams of fiber