This recipe was emailed to me by the Heart & Stroke Foundation. So easy, inexpensive and tasty! I like spicy foods so I add 1tsp of Sambal Oelek (or hot chili sauce to this). ENJOY!

It’s a little cold here today so this soup is perfect for weather like this.

HEARTY TUSCAN SOUP

• 15 mL (1 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 mL (2 tsp) dried oregano leaves
• 5 mL (1 tsp) dried basil leaves
• 2 mL (1/2 tsp) hot pepper flakes
• 125 mL (1/2 cup) brown rice (I use short grain organic)
• 1 can (796 mL/28 oz) no salt added stewed tomatoes
• 750 mL (3 cups) sodium reduced vegetable broth (I use homemade made with veggie scraps, no sodium!)
• 1 can (540 mL/19 oz) mixed beans, drained and rinsed (I soak and cook my own beans – chickpeas, kidney & black beans)
• 1 pkg (300 g/10 oz) frozen chopped spinach (I used a bag of fresh local spinach)

Directions:

In soup pot, heat oil over medium heat and cook onion, carrots, celery, garlic, oregano, basil and hot pepper flakes for about 10 minutes or until softened. Stir in rice to coat.

Add tomatoes, broth, beans and spinach; bring to boil. Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes or until rice is tender.

Slow cooker variation: Combine all the ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Frozen vegetable option: Omit spinach and add 500 mL (2 cups) frozen mixed vegetables.

Nutrient  Information per serving:

• Calories           138
• Protein             7 g
• Total Fat          2 g
• Saturated Fat  0 g
• Cholesterol      0 g
• Carbohydrate  25 g
• Fibre                5 g
• Sugars             6 g
• Sodium            351 mg
• Potassium        531 mg

Recipe developed by Emily Richards, PH Ec. © Heart and Stroke Foundation, 2012.