Awesome easy, hearty bean soup -- P1 friendly! m

[LaceyL]

I am printing out this recipe to make this week!

I am back on the boards after being gone for a year due to pregnancy, and it was so nice to see you are still doing an absolutely amazing job of keeping this vast amount of recipes organized and easy to access.

Nice to be back!

[LissAngel]

I'm new here! [waves] DH and I have been on P1 for almost a week. We're doing really well! I made this soup a few nights ago and we LOVED it! I can't wait to make it again!

[recipelover]

We have many new SBers and this has always been a favorite Phase 1 easy meal. Serve it with a salad--easy and good!!!

It is the 5 can (or 6 can if you use canned chicken breast meat):

Try it.

[runnybun]

I LOVED THIS RECIPE! I think this is my favorite recipe on SB so far! I made 2 modifications... I didn't drain the rotel tomatoes and I used spicy FF refired beans instead of regular FF refired beans. THe DH and I love spicy food, and it was really spicy! Sooooo yummy. I add a little sprinkle of shredded chedder cheese! Sooooo good!

[recipelover]

I am glad that you enjoy this soup so much. I think that one of the best things is that you can keep everything on hand and just open cans and dump them into a pan. That is why I call it 6-can soup as well because you can use the canned chicken breast. Easy!

I also think that for a change, you can brown some low-fat ground beef and use that instead of the chicken.

[runnybun]

Good idea on the ground beef, I will have to try it. I honestly can't get enough. It is spicy and filling. I even have it for breakfast if I need something quick and sick of eggs!

[ami]

It’s cold outside! And as the temperature drops, you’ll want to cuddle up inside with this tasty, warming winter soup. Chock-full of healthy ingredients and easy to prepare, this savory soup is sure to warm you up on a chilly winter day.

White Bean Soup With Greens (Phase 1)

Description
This southern Italian soup features white beans and healthy dark greens. Choose from great northern beans, cannellini beans, or any other white bean you happen to have on hand.

Serves 6

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds Swiss chard, escarole, or beet greens, trimmed
6 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup cooked white beans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Red-pepper flakes, for garnish

Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the greens — it is not necessary to cut them, because they will break apart while they cook in the soup — and cook for 7 minutes, or until barely tender. Drain the greens, squeezing out as much water as possible. (This can be done several hours before cooking in the soup.)

Bring the broth to a simmer in large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and greens. If using canned white beans, place them in a strainer and rinse them under cold running water to remove excess sodium. Add the beans to the broth. Simmer gently, partially covered, for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper to taste. (Do not add salt before the soup has finished cooking, or it may become too salty.)

Ladle the soup into heated bowls. Pass the cheese and pepper flakes at the table.

Nutritional information
Per serving:
79 calories
2 g fat (1 g sat)
12 g carbohydrate
6 g protein
4 g dietary fiber
1,008 mg sodium
0 mg cholesterol

[Magna]

That soup sounds terrific! I'll bet Swiss chard would be amazingly good in it.

[recipelover]

Here is another Phase 1 recipe that saved me lots of hours in the kitchen. Open 5 or 6 cans and dump them in a pot--Supper!!!

[ami]

A Warming Winter Soup

It’s cold outside! And as the temperature drops, you’ll want to cuddle up inside with this tasty, warming winter soup. Chock-full of healthy ingredients and easy to prepare, this savory soup is sure to take the chill off a blustery winter day.

White Bean Soup With Greens (Phase 1)

Description
This southern Italian soup features white beans and healthy dark greens. Choose from great northern beans, cannellini beans, or any other white bean you happen to have on hand.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds Swiss chard, escarole, or beet greens, trimmed
6 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup cooked white beans
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Red-pepper flakes, for garnish

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the greens — it is not necessary to cut them, because they will break apart while they cook in the soup — and cook for 7 minutes, or until barely tender. Drain the greens, squeezing out as much water as possible. (This can be done several hours before cooking in the soup.)

Bring the broth to a simmer in large pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and greens. If using canned white beans, place them in a strainer and rinse them under cold running water to remove excess sodium. Add the beans to the broth. Simmer gently, partially covered, for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper to taste. (Do not add salt before the soup has finished cooking, or it may become too salty.)

Ladle the soup into heated bowls. Pass the cheese and pepper flakes at the table.

Nutritional information
Per serving:
79 calories
2 g fat (1 g sat)
12 g carbohydrate
6 g protein
4 g dietary fiber
1,008 mg sodium
0 mg cholesterol

[Magna]

BTW, you can vary the ingredients by adding chunks of chicken and mushrooms. Also chopped kale or collard greens work well for this type of soup. The texture and taste will be different, but the taste is still good.

[KitchenDweller]

I've been curious about recipes likes this. Not having eaten a great variety of cooked greens, other than the various cabbages, including bok choy, and spinach (cooked or not), and kale chips (kale was too strong for me, but DH loved them), I'd like to try making this soup and others like them.

Can anyone suggest to me which of those greens listed (Swiss Chard, escarole, or beet greens) would be the milder tasting? I think I tried some curly kale in a sausage and bean soup once and wasn't delighted with the result. I love to make bean soups and have added in a little frozen chopped spinach from time to time.

Thanks in advance!

[Magna]

Swiss chard is pretty mild, somewhat like spinach. The stems may be red, green, or yellow, but for this soup I'd suggest green. In terms of texture, collard greens can be on the tough side, but the flavor tends to be mild, especially if cooked with some kind of fat.

FWIW, kale and other similar greens can vary a lot depending on their age, condition, etc. The older ones can be on the bitter side. I have heard that if you're growing your own, they get milder after a freeze.

[KitchenDweller]

Thank you! I appreciate the info and will be looking for chard. I like to widen our menu as much as possible, but when experiments go awry, it can get expensive. We really like cooked spinach all by itself, with a squirt of vinegar, so I imagine we'll like the chard as well.

[Magna]

If you're thinking of using it in the soup, you might consider cooking it separately, then adding it to a serving of soup and heating it a little, to see how you like it. That way, if it's not to your taste you at least will have some good bean and chicken soup left.