Mind Over Matter

Alas soup season is upon us! For this weekend I decided to make some delicious hearty soup. This is a nice chunky soup intended to be the main dish, not some appetizer.

You will need to prep your ingredients to get started. (See the entire ingredient list at bottom of page). For the fresh produce, begin by chopping the onions, carrots, celery, potato, bell pepper, garlic and parsley.

The rest of the ingredients you will need are frozen spinach, orzo pasta, chicken broth, tomato sauce (unsalted), cannellini beans, salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried basil and some water.

In a large nonstick saucepan, heat the water to boiling over medium heat.

Add the onions to the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Add the potatoes, celery, carrot, bell pepper and give it a good stir.

You can now add the garlic and mix together. Cook for 3 minutes and stir occasionally.

Add the remaining ingredients; frozen spinach (thawed and drained), uncooked orzo pasta, chicken broth, tomato sauce, cannellini beans, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Heat this mixture till boiling. Then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally until potatoes and pasta are tender.

Once fully cooked, garnish with parsley if desired. Enjoy! There you have it, a wonderful hearty soup filled with veggies for a winter evening.

• 3/4 cup water
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped small potatoes (unpeeled)
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 box frozen spinach (thawed & drained)
• 2/4 cup orzo pasta (uncooked)
• 3 & 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 can cannellini beans (drained & rinsed)
• 1 can (8oz) tomato sauce (unsalted)
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper