It's not always easy, but there are a few tricks I've learned along the way, so I'm going to record my recipes, tips, successes and failures here for you to enjoy, critique, or just to watch progress. Please send any comments or suggestions you might have. I'd love to hear from you.
So, first up, is my Tuscan White Bean Soup with Sausage.
I literally heard about, adjusted and made this recipe in a two-day span.
A friend told me how he and his flatmates make this starting with a dried package soup mix. I located the soup mix and nearly fell over once I learned that the sodium content was nearly 800mg PER SERVING! (it also contains MSG, which I strictly avoid).
I read the ingredients and thought "Well, I'll just make it from scratch". By doing that, I can use fresh, local, organic ingredients and make some lower points value choices as well. Here are the delicious results!
Mintie's Tuscan White Bean Soup with Sausage (Zuppa Toscana)
1/2 lb Carrots, diced
1/2 lb Celery, sliced or diced
1 Onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
6 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups (or 2 cans) cannellini beans (soaked, if you are starting from dry)
1 Tbsp thyme, fresh
2 cups Kale or spinach, washed and chopped, stems removed
2 Links of Turkey Italian sausage (mild or spicy, according to taste), Raw, removed from casing
1 cups Ditalini Pasta, dried (or any small pasta, preferrably whole wheat if you can find it)
Grated or finely shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
One tip for helping to reduce points in a recipe is to be sure you have really good nonstick pans, as this will allow you to use less fat in sauteeing, etc.. I use Bialetti Nonstick Cookware for this type of cooking. It's really affordable and their non-stick is GREAT.
You can either use a large saucepan for this, or even a skillet if it's pretty big.
Heat pan over medium heat. (I am a firm believer in "hot pan cold oil". Heat your pan first, and then add your oil.) Add onion, celery and carrots and sautee until crisp tender. Add sausage and sautee until cooked through breaking up into bite-size or smaller pieces .
Meanwhile, rinse and chop Kale (or spinach). Add to pan and sautee until slightly wilted.
Add garlic, beans, dry pasta and chicken broth. Bring to boil. Add Salt and Pepper to taste and fresh Thyme. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.
Spoon into bowls, top each with one Tablespoon grated or shredded Parmigano Reggiano.
If you'll be eating this soup as leftovers, the pasta will continue to soak up the liquid, so it may get a bit thick and you may want to add some broth or water when you reheat it.
Buon Appetito!
