VA Healthy Teaching Kitchen: Italian Summer Soup

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What do you do with all your garden-fresh vegetables? Make a summer soup. This soup is perfect for light lunches and dinners. This easy soup makes use of produce in season: zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers. The great thing about soup is that you can change the ingredients to exactly what you want. For example, if you can adjust the thickness by adjusting the amount of broth and swap out for different vegetables and spices. Serve with a garnish of fresh parsley or and grated Parmesan cheese along with crusty Italian bread on the side. Enjoy!
Italian Summer Soup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
6 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon salt
2 medium tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)
1 medium bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
1 medium zucchini, diced (about 1 cup)
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added white beans
(e.g. cannellini beans, great northern beans)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
4 cups (32 ounces) low-sodium vegetable broth
Directions
1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the oil and heat until shimmering.
3. Add the onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, cayenne, and salt.
4. Sauté until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes, bell pepper, zucchini, beans, corn, and broth.
6. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.
7. Cook uncovered until the vegetables are tender, about 20-25 minutes.
8. Serve warm.
• Substitute 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes for the fresh tomatoes if desired.
Nutrition Facts Per Serving: Calories: 185 | Total Fat: 7 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g Sodium: 250 mg | Total Carbohydrate: 26 g | Dietary Fiber: 5.5 g | Protein: 8.5 g
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