Comfort Food

Rainy days like yesterday always make me crave soup. In my mind, there is nothing better than curling up on the couch with a steaming bowl of soup and crusty bread! Usually, once a week my husband and I whip out the big spoons and bowls to enjoy one of our favorite comfort foods!

This is a delicious recipe from Vegetarian Times that serves 8. I make this with spinach instead of swiss chard and dried sun-dried tomatoes instead of oil packed.

Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Soup with White Beans and Swiss Chard

Ingredients: 

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 medium onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 medium carrots, sliced (1 cup)
• 2 ribs celery, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1 small zucchini, sliced (1 cup)
• 1/2 tsp. chopped rosemary
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 2- 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
• 1- 15 oz. can small white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped, plus 2 Tbs. oil from jar
• 1/2 bunch (6 oz.) Swiss chard, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1 cup torn basil

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook 1 minute, or until garlic is fragrant. Stir in onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, and rosemary, and cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until onions are soft.
2. Add broth, 1 can tomatoes, and beans. Scoop 1 cup mixture into food processor or blender, and add remaining can of tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and sun-dried tomato oil. Purée until smooth, stir mixture into soup, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Simmer 10 minutes.
3. Add Swiss chard and thyme; simmer 5 minutes more, or until chard is wilted. Remove pan from heat, and stir in basil.


If you have leftovers, this soup freezes very well and is just as tasty re-heated!