Healthy white bean and vegetable soup

Now that I'm middle aged, I try to eat more vegetarian meals when I can (although I still enjoy a nice hotdog from time to time). Bean soups are nutritious and versatile. Have a bowl with a half sandwich for lunch; make a hearty supper out of two bowls of bean soup and some nice, crusty bread. I like to keep my crisper well stocked with soup veggies so I can make a big pot on a Sunday and freeze it in individual servings.

Tip: don't slice your soup veggies too small. You want them chunky. Think of the photos they show on the cans of soup at the store. Carrots and celery are always large, no?

Ingredients:

1 bag of Northern white beans, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained

(*Note: I use the lazy woman's method of not soaking the beans, and instead simmering them for several hours in advance of the actual soup preparation. The soup still comes out well this way, at least in my opinion.)

olive oil, for sauteeing

2 carrots, scrubbed and sliced into thick coins

2 stalks celery, scrubbed and sliced into chunks

1 parsnip, scrubbed and sliced (you can first cut the parsnip down the center longways, if it's too big

1 turnip, chopped into bite-sized pieces

3 or 4 small potatoes, quartered and then sliced into bite-sized pieces

one medium onion, cut into chunks (if you enjoy the flavor of onion but don't like eating the actual onion, toss a whole, washed onion in there and remove it later)

4 cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

a couple sprigs of thyme

a pinch of rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In the bottom of a large soup pot, make what is known as a "miripoix": sautee the onion, garlic and vegetables.

Add the spices and beans. If you want to be fancy, you can swaddle your spices in a little cheesecloth bundle and tie with twine, then remove after the soup is cooked.

Fill the pot about 3 inches from the top with water. Cover and set on medium to high heat until soup begins to bubble; then switch the heat to low or low-medium. Cook for 4 or 5 hours, checking periodically and stirring as needed.

The longer you cook your soup, the thicker it will become because the beans soak up the liquid. So if you like your soup very soupy, then keep an eye on the stove and maybe give a taste-test after 3 hours or so to see how things have progressed.

Serves: 8

Submitted by:

Dina Giolitto
http://wordfeeder.com

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