Red, White and Bean Minestrone

This colorful cannellini, red kidney bean and Italian minestrone soup is fantastic topped with a little pesto and freshly grated Parmesan.

Recipe Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Italian turkey sausage, in small pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup chopped carrots
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (16-ounce) can chopped canned tomatoes
5 cups chicken stock
1 (15.5-ounce) can BUSH'S® Cannellini Beans with liquid
1/2 (16-ounce) can BUSH'S® Red Kidney Beans, drained
2 cups zucchini cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups baby spinach
1 1/2 cups cooked bow tie pasta
2 tablespoons pre-packaged pesto
2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking Directions:

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium sauté pan. Add sausage, brown well.
2. Add tomato paste, cook 5 minutes until brown.
3. Add onions, celery, garlic, carrots and oregano. Cook until garlic is aromatic, approximately 5 minutes.
4. Pour into a 4-quart slow cooker. Add tomatoes and chicken stock.
5. Cook on low setting for 6 to 7 hours or until the vegetables are tender.
6. Stir in beans, zucchini, spinach and cooked pasta. Cook on high setting for 8 minutes or until beans and pasta are warmed through and spinach has wilted.
7. To Serve: Pour the soup into a bowl. Top with a little pesto and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Makes 9 servings.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/9 of recipe): Calories: 257 Total Fat: 6.2g Cholesterol: 31mg Sodium: 851mg Total Carbs: 29.8g Dietary Fiber: 7.4gProtein: 19.8g.

Created for BUSH'S® Beans by Connie Guttersen, R.D., Ph.D., nutrition instructor at The Culinary Institute of America, mom and author of The Sonoma Diet.

Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of www.VegetableWithMore.com, through ECES, Inc., Electronic Color Editorial Services.