Winter Casserole Soup

By Hklbrries

Easy, hearty, pasta-vegetable soup is most welcome on a winter night.

Imagine a soup that provides a whole meal in one bowl and takes only 30 minutes to make. That’s the beauty of Winter Casserole Soup, a thick and hearty soup made with vegetables, pasta and red kidney beans.

Soup is a great way to brighten up a winter evening. I find that my family loves a bowl of soup, no matter what the weather. You can make this a vegetarian meal by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

This soup tastes even better the second day. You can make double the recipe and have another quick meal waiting for you. If you make it in advance or are rewarming on the second night, it may become thick. Just add more broth while rewarming.

Helpful hints: Onion, carrots and celery can be bought already sliced in the produce section, or slice all of the vegetables in a food processor fitted with a thick slicing blade. A few drops of hot pepper sauce can be used instead of horseradish. Any type of cheese can be substituted for the Cheddar cheese.

Linda Gassenheimer is the author of 14 cookbooks. Visit her website at www.DinnerInMinutes.com or email her at [e-mail]

Ingredients

• 2 cups fat-free, low-salt chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes (including juice)
• 1 cup sliced yellow onion
• 1/2 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup sliced celery stalks
• 1 cup sliced white cabbage
• 2 ounces uncooked fusilli pasta (1 cup)
• 1 tbsp prepared horseradish (or a few drops hot pepper sauce)
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups fresh washed, ready-to-eat spinach
• 1 1/2 cups rinsed and drained canned red kidney beans
• 2 ounces shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (1/2 cup)
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Sourdough or whole-grain bread

Details

Servings 2
Adapted from dinnerinminutes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 F for bread.

Bring chicken (or vegetable) broth, water and tomatoes to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cover, lower heat to medium-high, and cook 5 minutes. Add cabbage and fusilli and boil, uncovered, 10 minutes. Mix horseradish and vinegar together. Add to soup with spinach and beans. Boil 1 minute. Pasta will be cooked. Spinach will just be wilted. Add cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Place bread in oven to warm.

Nutrition Information:
Per serving
535 calories (12 percent from fat)
7 g fat (3.1 g saturated, 1.9 g monounsaturated)
15 mg cholesterol
30.4 g protein
92.6 g carbohydrates
20.8 g fiber
1585 mg sodium