Tuscan Vegetable Soup

I had a great group of ladies over to our house last night for an open house. Two wonderful Julie's came over and sold their products. We had Discovery Toys, Morenci Candles, Scentsy and I had catalogs for Uppercase Living. I served two soups and some hors d'oeuvres and Julie Henson brought desserts. The favorite soup was the Tuscan Vegetable so here is the recipe. It is very filling but is very low calorie. We like to eat it with flat bread and shredded cheese.

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)

2 carrots, diced (about 1/2 cup)

2 stalks celery, diced, (about 1/2 cup)

1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes

2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan, optional

Directions

In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.

Serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.