Pasta Bean Soup recipe

Of all seasons, winter is my least favorite. For someone who gets cold in just a 73 degree house, weather down in the 50s is not my idea of fun. And I don't have much room to complain either, especially since my relatives in Utah got down in the negatives this winter. Bbbbbbbrrrrrrrrrrrr! I was meant to live in the south.

If you're anything like me, you do whatever you can to heat up your house and stay warm during the winter. And often, baking in the kitchen with that oven at a nice toasty 350, seems like a good way to go. In college, I'm sure I ate more cookies in the wintertime than any other time. Also, winter just happens to be an excuse for several eating holidays- Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, President's Day, Valentine's Day, MLK Jr Day. So all the more reason to indulge in the baked goods right?

Robin and I were discussing this issue one day and she told me the secret to her saving grace during winter- eating lots of soup. Soups that warm you from the minute they enter your mouth right down to your very soul. So I have taken her advice and tried a few varieties of soups this winter. I try using water-based or broth-based soups. Cream based soups are added fats, salts, and calories. I add plenty of vegetables. And I sit and read a book right next to the hot stove that is heating my soup and house. I stay warm and dinner gets made. Done. Oh and did I mention the irresistible smell that fills my house while it's cooking? Mmmmmmmhmmm

Here is one of my favorite soups this winter. I got the recipe from http://theitaliandishblog.com/imported-20090913150324/2010/1/2/sausage-and-bean-soup-with-pasta.html, however I made a few adjustments to make it slightly healthier. It has pasta and beans for your carbs, ground turkey for your protein, and lots and lots of veggies! Here is the recipe, altered by yours truly:

1 15-ounce can of cannellini, drained
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 medium onion, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

1 cup celery, cut

3 tablespoons olive oil 
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes 
6 cups chicken broth (or 3 cups water / 3 cups chicken broth to lower the salt content)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper 

Spinach, cut

1 cup ditalini pasta, or any small pasta

Brown turkey, remove from the pot. Remove fat from the pot as well. Sautee carrots, celery, and onion in the pot with the olive oil for a few minutes. Add garlic and sautee for another minute. Add beans and all other ingredients except for the pasta. Cover and cook for an hour on low heat. After an hour, add the uncooked pasta and cut spinach. Cook for about another 20 minutes uncovered or until the pasta is soft and done.

Mmmm, just look at that goodness waiting to be eaten!

Folks, that is it! It's super hard to mess up a soup recipe. Basically, you're just adding ingredients until it looks good to you. This soup was so good and it made a huge pot, so we ate it the left overs for almost a week. It's the kind of soup that just fills you with warmth and yumminess, you can't get enough. Feel free to go back for seconds; it's mostly just vegetables in water!