Spinach Bean Soup

From our friends at the American Heart Association

Image courtesy of the American Heart Association

Servings: 4

Image courtesy of the American Heart Association

This meatless soup is an easy weeknight meal the whole family will enjoy.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 small onion, chopped

2 tablespoons bottled minced garlic

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 15.5-ounce can no-salt-added navy beans, chickpeas, or pinto beans, undrained

1 14.5-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

1 14.5-ounce can fat-free, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 tightly packed cups spinach, large leaves torn or chopped

Directions

Lightly spray a large pot with cooking spray.
Cook the onion and garlic over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until the onion is very soft, stirring frequently.
Stir in the beans with liquid, tomatoes with liquid, broth, cumin and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the spinach. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Quick Tips

Tip: To cook once and eat twice, double the ingredients and freeze the extra for a later use. Transfer the extra into an airtight freezer container. Be sure to cool it in the refrigerator before freezing. When ready to eat, thaw the container in the refrigerator. For best results, serve the soup within three months of freezing it.

Keep it Healthy: If you can’t find no-salt-added canned beans, look for “reduced-sodium” beans. Compare the sodium values on the back of the cans. To reduce the sodium even more, rinse and drain the beans. For this recipe, add 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fat-free, low-sodium broth to make up for the discarded liquid.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (serves 4)

Calories	139
Total Fat	0.0 g (0.0 g saturated, 0.0 g trans fat, 0.0 g polyunsaturated, 0.0 g monounsaturated fats)
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	68 mg
Carbohydrate	25 g (6 g dietary fiber, 5 g sugars)
Protein	9 g
Dietary Exchanges	1 lean meat, 1 starch, 2 vegetable