Italian Soup

A tasty one-pot Italian soup that doesn’t take long to make and tastes great! Make it a light dinner one night, and the next day have the leftovers for lunch.

Soup Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 carrots, sliced 1/4-inch round
• 4 cups homemade gluten-free Simple Vegetable Broth, or store-bought brand.
• 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 15 oz can  dark red kidney beans
• 3/4 cup baby spinach leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, minced
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning*
• 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. The French term mise en place (pronounced meeze on plause) is often used in professional kitchens to say “everything in place.” For ease, have all the ingredients prepped and equipment on hand, then say, “Voi·là! Mise en place!” simply because it’s fun to say and despite this being a recipe for Italian (not French) soup.
2. Heat the coconut oil in a large pot, add the onion, garlic, and celery. Sauté on medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until the onions are just translucent, then mix in the sesame oil.
3. Add the carrots and vegetable stock. Cook for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Don’t overcook.
4. Mix in the tomatoes, beans, spinach, fresh parsley, and seasonings. Cook 2 minutes more, or until the spinach is wilted and the beans are hot. Ladle into soup bowls and serve alone or with some Flax Seed Crackers.

Variations:

1. Add rice! Cook brown rice in advance. If you don’t know how, follow our Perfect Brown Rice recipe. After adding the beans, add 1/2 cup of the cooked rice. If necessary, add an extra 3/4 cup of stock or water, so to have enough liquid to still call it a soup.
2. Replace the kidney beans with another type of bean, such as pinto, black, or even lentils. You can also use dry beans that have been soaked and precooked according to package instructions, then drained and cooled.

Yield:
Makes 4 to 6 servings

*If you don’t have on hand dry Italian seasoning, you can use 1 teaspoon each of dry oregano, thyme, and basil. If you prefer to use fresh minced herbs, the rule of thumb for most herbs is that 1 part dried is equal to 3 parts fresh, so 1 teaspoon of dried herbs equals 1 tablespoon of fresh.