Italian Greens and Beans Soup
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 packages of Vegetarian chicken broth
1 bunch of green chard, spinach, or other greens
1 can of cannelloni beans
1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in the bottom of a heavy soup pot on medium-high heat. Saute chopped onion until translucent and add minced garlic until cooked through.
Rinse and drain greens and chop into bite-size pieces and wilt them over medium heat with the onions and garlic, stirring often and adding more greens as they wilt.
Add broth and beans and bring to a boil, adding the juice of one lemon and salt and pepper to your taste. Once beans are heated, soup is ready to serve, although it can simmer as long as you like and is good reheated.
Variations - You can add your favorite no-meatballs for a variation on Italian Wedding Soup, or add small pasta such as ditalini for a heartier soup.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
This soup was super tasty!! I used a HUGE bunch of swiss chard and 8 cups of broth, I also used dried beans that I pre-soked and used more than one can worth. I added about 1/2 cup of little pasta and I also threw in probably 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. I loved the lemon! I made it have a nice clean taste to the broth. I will definitely make this again! :D
Yum!! This is really good. At first I forgot to add the lemon juice, and it was great. Added the lemon juice, and it was good too. I liked both versions, though a little less lemon juice might have been better.
I also added tiny pasta, and with some bread and salad it was a wonderful meal.