Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Minestrone with White Beans & Collard Greens



A friend of mine recently recommended an excellent collection of 60 quick and easy soups on the Martha Stewart web site. You'll probably be seeing quite a few of them on this blog in the fall and winter months. ;) I chose this soup for tonight because I had a bag of collard greens in the fridge I purchased for another meal that I ended up not making. Not wanting to waste them (or the many cans of Great Northern beans I discovered in my pantry last week), I decided to give it a try.

Minestrone with Collard Greens and White Beans

Adapted from MarthaStewart.com

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
coarse salt & ground black pepper
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 lb bag pre-chopped collard greens, or 2 bunches, chopped (discard stems)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cans (15.5 oz each) great northern beans
14.5 oz can diced Italian style tomatoes in juice

Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic; season with salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften (about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, rinse & drain beans in colander. Take 1/4th of beans and place in bowl; mash with back of spoon. Add tomato paste to onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until onion is coated. Add greens, thyme, and pepper flakes. Cook and stir 2-4 minutes, until greens start to wilt. Add all beans to the pot, along with tomatoes and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes or until greens are tender.

Makes 8 servings of 1 1/2 cups each, with 1/2 tsp of your healthy oil in each serving.

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