I am so excited to be hosting the recipe of the week!

As some of you may remember, my first recipe choice, Salmon with Sweet and Spicy Rub, I ghost-hosted, because our computer crashed about two weeks earlier and we had not replaced it yet.

With Fall being ushered in in so many parts of the country, I thought a nice, warm soup would be just the ticket to warm up all of those cold bellies out there. Of course, being in Florida and experiencing near record high temps right now – its been above 90 degrees with a heat index 100 or higher for over 7 days straight – I had to crank up the AC to make ours!

We do eat a lot of soups for dinner since our eating habits have changed, and my doctor suggested to me to start making dinner a lighter meal, like you would typically eat for lunch. Now, soups, salads and sandwiches, and a lot of veggie omelets make up our evening meals.

I didn’t follow the directions preceisely. I didn’t precook any of the veggies. I like layering my veggies in my broth and letting all of the flavors meld as they cook, so that is what I did. It also made the soup fat free, since I didn’t need the oil!

As many different ways that I have seasoned soup, I have to admit that I don’t believe I have ever used Thyme. What a pity! It was a beautiful flavor with the veggies, and I will be using it again, for sure!

I just love cooking with all of the fresh veggies…nature’s rainbow – you gotta love it!

Here’s a steaming bowl of the good stuff:

Don’t forget to see what everyone else thought! Thanks for cooking with me!

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

courtesy of Ellie Krieger

• 1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 stalks celery, diced, (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, optional

In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.

Serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.