Garlic Bean Soup

Low-fat, nutritious and bursting with flavor, this bean soup is loaded with garlic, white beans, onion, carrot and celery.

Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups chopped onion
1 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup sliced celery
12 to 14 medium cloves garlic, peeled, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (14.5-ounce) cans fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Finely chopped chives or parsley (optional)

Cooking Directions:

1. Sauté onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in oil in large saucepan 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken broth and beans; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, 5 to 8 minutes.
2. Process soup in food processor or blender until smooth. Serve in bowls; sprinkle with chives.

Makes 6 servings (about 1 cup each).

Tips:

• Frozen onion and prepared chopped garlic can be substituted.
• To save preparation time, chopped baby carrots may be used.
• Soup can be made 1 to 2 days in advance; refrigerate, covered.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/6 of recipe): Calories 255; Fat 5g; % Calories from Fat 18; Carbohydrate 39g; Folate 131mcg; Sodium 545mg; Protein 15g; Dietary Fiber 2g; Cholesterol 0mg.

Recipe provided courtesy of The Bean Education & Awareness Network.