Vegetarian Cannellini Bean Soup

It's March 2 and with this bitter cold and snowy weather looming, it does not seem promising that spring is right around the corner. I've been trying to cook more soups and stews to try to keep myself warm in this relentless winter. This particular soup is so easy to make, and it's the perfect portable lunch to take to work. It's super hearty with the cannellini beans but it's light enough that you won't feel weighted down the rest of the day.

You'll see in the recipe that I used gluten free pasta. I personally feel like the gluten free pasta makes me feel less sluggish and provides more nutrients than typical semolina flour pasta. If you're wondering if you can use whole grain or whole wheat instead- you absolutely can but it's going to make the soup a little bit heavier and more starchy. 

Similar to many of my other recipes, this soup is so wonderful because it is extremely versatile. Feel free to add different veggies, use a different kind of bean, or perhaps try experimenting with a different starch like quinoa or rice. 

My superfood of week is the cannelini beans. Cannelini beans provide a ton of fiber and protein and are very low on the glycemic index scale. This means that they metabolize slowly, thus providing steady energy for hours. Additionally, these beans contain the element Molybdenum which is said to have detoxifying effects on the body.

Ingredients:

1 onion diced

2 ribs celery- diced

2 carrots- peeled and diced

1. tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 can rinsed and drained cannellini beans

1 cup frozen corn- thawed

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (low sodium)

4 cups water

8 oz. pasta (I used gluten free penne)

olive oil

additional salt/pepper- to taste

Directions:

1) Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium high heat for a 5 minutes

2) Add onion, celery and carrots and saute for 10 minutes or until tender

3) Add cannelini beans, corn, Italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes

4) Add stock and water and bring to a boil

5) Simmer on low for 15 minutes

6) Add pasta and cook 2 minutes shy of al dente (If you are planning on eating the soup in one sitting then cook the pasta all the way to al dente. If you are doing what I do and reheating it all week make sure you cook it a few minutes shy.)

7) Taste and add additional salt/pepper if needed

Enjoy!!!

*This makes about 5 servings