Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary

Of all the recipes I have posted on this blog, this may be my favorite. If you love a hearty tomato soup, you absolutely must make this recipe. It's very easy, has simple ingredients, and it's packed with lots of flavor. I made it on a rare week night when I cooked. I'm not an exceptionally speedy cook, and it took under 1 hour including clean up.

This soup is also very healthy. Many tomato based soups use heavy cream as a thickening agent. This recipe uses cannellini beans. The beans are packed with nutrition and give the soup a nice texture. I would recommend using a low-sodium chicken broth. It cuts down on the salt, and you won't sacrifice any flavor.

This recipe is from From Giada de Laurentis' Giada's Kitchen New Italian Favorites. Another bonus for this recipe, Giada is easy on the eyes!


Ingredients
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can (16 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can(28 oz) crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup plain yogurt
zest of 1 lemon

1. In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, and the red pepper flakes. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes covered.
2. Puree the soup in a blender in batches, being careful to remove and discard the bay leaf. Return the soup to the pot and keep warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.
3. To serve, place the soup into bowls, dollop each with the plain yogurt. Sprinkle the top with the remaining fresh rosemary and lemon zest. Serve immediately.

From Giada de Laurentis' Giada's Kitchen New Italian Favorites

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

Here's another recipe from Giada's new cookbook. I made this on Sunday instead of salad. Publix was out of cannellini beans, so I substitued Great Northern Beans with no ill effect. I also substitued 1/4 tsp. of dried, ground sage for the sage leaves.

Ingredients:
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1 Tbs olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 sage leaves, stems removed
2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally until the shallots are softened, about 3 minutes
2. Add the sage leaves, cannellini beans, and garlic and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth to the pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook gently until the garlic is soft, about 15 minutes.
3. Pour half of the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle a third to half of the soup from the bowl into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Pour the blended soup back into the pot and repeat with the remaining soup from the bowl.
   
4. Once all of the soup is returned to the soup pot, stir in the cream, salt, and pepper. Cover and keep warm over very low heat.