Pepper and White Bean Soup With Rotini

Time: about 15 minutes to prep, 25-30 to cook

Ingredients

• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 8 ounces frozen bell pepper and onion stir-fry
• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise
• 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon dried basil, crumbled
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 6 ounces dried rotini pasta
• 15-ounce can no-salt-added navy beans, rinsed if desired and drained
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra-virgin preferred)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1.  In a Dutch oven, bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the bell pepper and onion stir-fry, zucchini, tomatoes, basil and red pepper flakes. Return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the pasta using the package directions, omitting the salt and oil. Drain in a colander.
3. Stir the beans into the bell pepper stir-fry mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, or until heated through. Remove from the heat. Stir in the olive oil and salt.
4. Put the pasta into soup bowls. Ladle the soup over the pasta.

Courtesy of American Hear Asssociation Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook (third edition)

Verdict

This is one of my go-t0 recipes. It is so simple, so quick to make and so tasty. If I don’t have the frozen stir fry in the freezer, fresh onions and green pepper work jut fine (and taste better). I also don’t have a dutch oven, so a regular sauce pan does the trick. Spicy food is my thing, so sometimes I can go overboard with the red peeper. And don’t forget the olive oil and salt at the end, unless you have high blood pressure. Those two ingredients at the end really help, though.

Tags: food, soup