Soup!

So the last two Sunday's I have spent them making yummy soup for my lunches... Here are the recipes

Soup #1---Minestrone Soup (Skinny Taste Original)
Ingredients

1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can white beans, drained, rinsed (cannellini or navy) I used Navy

3 cups fat free chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)

1 oz chunk of good Parmesan cheese rind (I accidently bought Mozerella fat free) Reduced Point Value

1 fresh rosemary sprig (I used dried)
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (I used dried)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
salt and fresh pepper
1 medium zucchini, chopped

2 cups chopped fresh or frozen (defrosted) spinach (I used the fresh kind sold at Aldi)

2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows (al dente) (I used whole wheat elbows)
extra parmesan cheese to top (extra pts)



Directions
Rinse and drain beans. Puree beans with 1 cup of the broth in a blender.

In a crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, pureed beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, Parmesan cheese rind, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta( I didn't cook the pasta before I put in the crockpot I just put it in sooner), cook 10 minutes more. Remove bay leaves, rosemary sprig, parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top with extra parmesan cheese. (I didin't add extra cheese to mine)

Soup #2 Italian Vegetable Soup (from the Weight Watchers Website)

Ingredients

2 cup(s) escarole, chopped
2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
1 cup(s) (chopped) uncooked onion(s), chopped
2 cup(s) fresh spinach, baby leaves
2 small uncooked zucchini, cubed
1 medium sweet red pepper(s), chopped
1 medium uncooked fennel bulb(s), thinly sliced
6 cup(s) vegetable broth
28 oz canned diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp thyme, fresh, fresh, finely chopped (I used dried)
1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped (I used dried)
3/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup(s) parsley, fresh, chopped
1/4 cup(s) basil, fresh, leaves (I used dried)

Directions

Put escarole, garlic, onions, spinach, zucchini, red pepper, fennel, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, thyme and oregano into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. ( Cooked in my crockpot for five hours on low) Reduce heat to low, and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes.


Stir in salt, black pepper, parsley and basil. Serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.