Tuscan Bean Soup

If there's one person who loves soup (and new recipes) as much as me, it's my Mom. This one's for you. :)

2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 medium zucchini, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried rosemary 

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 (19 oz) can cannelloni beans

1 (19 oz) can chick peas

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes 

3 cups chopped kale, ribs removed

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp white sugar

1 tbsp white wine vinegar 

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and zucchini. Sauté for 4 minutes. 

Add the garlic, thyme and rosemary. Cook 30 seconds.

Stir in the broth, beans, chick peas and tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low and add the chopped kale. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Using an immersion blender partially blend, leaving some chunks of vegetables and beans for texture. 

Add the salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan. 

Adapted from http://thewanderlustkitchen.com/easy-tuscan-bean-soup/

Lasagna Roll-ups

Here's a great pasta dish for meatless Mondays!

10 lasagna noodles, cooked
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce
5 cups kale, stems removed, chopped fine
1 cup mushrooms, chopped fine
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
500 g container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt & pepper
mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread about 1 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.

Place kale in a food processor or blender and pulse a few times until finely chopped.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, about a minute. Add kale, salt and pepper and saute about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until soft, an additional 5-6 minutes.

Mix ricotta, Parmesan, egg and salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the kale/mushroom mixture. Stir to combine.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out cooked lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take about 1/3 cup of mushroom kale mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle more marinara sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top with mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, until cheese melts.

From www.skinnytaste.com

Zuppa Toscana

What a perfect soup for a cool day! This is a version of the soup made famous by Olive Garden. So good!

1 lb ground Italian sausage (I used spicy to give it some kick because I didn't have the next ingredient)
1 1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
1 large diced white onion
4 tbsp bacon pieces
2 tsp garlic, minced
10 cups water
5 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
3 large potatoes, sliced
1/4 of a bunch of kale

Saute Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.

In the same pan, saute bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 min or until the onions are soft.

Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.

Add the heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in the sausage and kale. Heat through and serve.