I’m considering starting a series for my blog. I’ve been toying with the idea of sharing more of my quick and easy pantry dishes–tried and true meals–or something entirely different in which I commit to trying a new recipe from each of my cookbooks. Because I’ll admit, I may be addicted to buying them but the excitement soon wanes and the new books are quickly forgotten as soon as the new one comes along. Maybe I’ll do both at some point…we’ll see.
Maybe a new series will start from today’s theme. Sundays are not usually the proverbial day of rest for me. I attend Sunday service in the morning, I visit one or two (sometimes three) grocery stores, I arrive home to catch up on laundry and straighten up the house and of course, I try to fix a special Sunday night dinner that I wouldn’t have time to prepare during the week. This, of course, doesn’t include all the more welcome things that come up: friends, family, exercise, outings, etc. Sunday lunch often consists of bites in between chores as I walk by the kitchen or is store-bought in an effort to stave off hunger as the junk food aisle evilly beckons me.
But today, this quickly-prepared soup had me thinking differently about my Sunday lunches. They don’t have to take a back seat to my other meals and they can be just as good. After replenishing my pantry and freezer with my staples, I realized that I had delicious prospects for lunch. I threw together a can of cannellini beans, some frozen chopped spinach, diced tomatoes, whole grain pasta, an onion and some garlic and I had a wonderful, easy, healthy lunch. This bowl of soup is resting warmly in my belly and I can’t wait to make it again. Now I shall enjoy the rest of my Sunday, chores and all.
Spinach and White Bean Soup
- 1 14 oz can cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
- 4 cups stock (vegetable or chicken, your choice)
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups frozen chopped spinach (the bagged kind, not in the box. I just added a handful or two to the pot)
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- small of amount of your choice pasta (I used whole grain spaghetti snapped into one-inch pieces)
- one onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- olive oil
- no-salt seasoning blend (I used a pasta seasoning blend)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Parmigiano Reggiano for garnish
In a medium pot, sauté the onion in olive oil over medium heat. After two or three minutes, add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Add the drained cannellini beans, diced tomatoes and stock. Season with salt and pepper and/or seasoning blend. Bring to a boil, add the spinach and lower heat to simmer. After a few minutes, add the pasta and cook just until the pasta is al dente. Total cooking time should take no more than half an hour. Ladle in a bowl and top with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Yes Jean! Please do start that series – am always on the lookout for quick recipes that still taste good. And I know what you mean about the cookbooks – I buy them as well and there are books that I have never cooked from. I’m hoping to cut down on my book buying and actually do more cooking from them in the new year.
Soup looks lovely and very hearty!
Thanks, Trissa. I like the idea of the cookbook series, too. Don’t know that it will slow down the purchasing madness, but I’ll try!
That’s a great idea. And a great way to get use out of your cookbooks. I’m a cookbook junkie myself. I actually feel a little shameful when I glance at my cookbook shelf because there are so many I haven’t used. The Sunday soup sounds simple and delicious Love white beans.
Thanks, Trish. The soup was a surprise hit; I ended up making it twice yesterday. The white beans were wonderful in this. 🙂
That’s a gorgeous bowl of soup! I like the grapes, too! 🙂
I love your idea of doing a series of quick dish. I don’t have time to spend few hours stand in front of stove to cook for a meal. So, please do the quick dish series. I will be your no.1 fan for that. 😉
btw, love this quick sunday lunch. The soup looks tasty and healthy. 🙂
Thanks, Liv. Aren’t quick, easy dishes appealing for long workdays? I’ll see if I have enough recipes to round up for a series. Thanks for your interest. 🙂
What a great soup! And I think I have the ingredients in my pantry right now! Gorgeous photos!
Thank you, Amy! How lucky was I that I decided to snap a couple of quick shots and they turned out fine! It was a great blogging day. 🙂
Love the Sunday soup and love the idea for a series! Go for it! 🙂
I have committed to making a week’s worth of meals out of only one cookbook each week. I have the same problem with buying too many books than I could ever use. Who knows, I may find that I don’t even want some of my cookbooks after this!
That’s an even better idea. I look forward to reading your posts about the new recipes. 🙂
Oh you are so like me! It seems like we both work more on Sundays than any other day! Sunday lunch is more of a snack in my home too so if you want to start a series about quick (and delicious if this is the trailer!) sunday lunch…please please please do so. I will be forever grateful. As per the cooking books…you can lend me a few to check out the desserts if you forget to use them….that’s the reason why I resist the temptation to buy too many.
Sara, I’ll lend you my cookbooks anytime. Actually, let me know what type of dessert recipes you are looking for and I’ll check out the books.
Share more pantry meals with us! I feel like we all put too much emphasis on food we make with our blogs in mind, thinking that our usual standbys are not good enough. But look at this soup! I’d be happy to eat it any day of the week even if it’s just a normal pantry meal.
I am so guilty of what you just said. I’ve dismissed so many of my other standbys thinking that they’re not blog-worthy but I’m beginning to think this is not the case. Will have to review my mental blogging pipeline and reconsider.
Great idea! People are usually pressed for time and don’t even read the cookbooks they buy, let alone cook from them! Love that soup, it looks delicious and hearty.
I’m so guilty of not reading my cookbooks. I glance at them once or twice and that’s it. Yes, I need to use them. 🙂
Go for it! that’s how most of us cook (or want to cook) mid-week, anyway. I bet your readers would get a lot out of it. Lovely soup! Happy 2011!
A wonderful bowl of soup!!
Sometimes our dinners are more lunch-style since of often just my husband and I and we don’t need a heavy meal. Soup is such a satisfying meal, especially when it includes beans and pasta!
Beans and pasta are so filling but in a soup like this, there’s no guilt about overeating. I should follow your lead and do lighter dinners, especially since the holidays are over! 🙂
I really like the idea of quick meals and your soup looks so comforting and hearty. I hope you’re enjoying 2011 and I hope this year brings you many joys (=
I love quick and satisfying meals like this, and it looks so pretty…
I think a Sunday lunch series would be fun, but all of the ideas sound great 🙂
I’m glad you got some time to prepare a proper lunch! Love the soup, so hearty and nourishing!
That’s so funny that you post this, I was thinking about making something almost identical for dinner tonight! My husband is at home sick so I think soup is in order.
Happy near year, Jean!
PS I’m the same way as you… I keep buying cookbooks and the excitement fades so fast before I get a new one. Some of my cookbooks I haven’t even used yet!
I hope your hubby feels better by now, Roxan. Did you end up making your soup? I made this soup twice the same day because the first batch wasn’t enough. We’ll be making it again. Happy New Year!
Sounds like a great category for a blog! This soup looks super tasty! I love a good quick flavorful soup.
hi Jean
your Sunday series sounds like a great idea! and that soup looks so very very good! This time of year I turn more to soups, not only filling but just a feel good meal!
Thanks for sharing this delicious soup with us
Dennis
Hi Dennis. I’m so happy to be getting all this feedback on the series, including yours. Maybe I’ll do both and give myself a loose schedule and alternate the two. Soups will probably be the most popular category for this time of the year. I agree with you–they’re a feel good meal! Have a great week!
oh, Jean, i thought I’m the only one that gets carried away by the cookbook shelves at the bookstores, buy one in the end and after few days i wonder, why did I buy it. I have lots of other books I didn’t even have the chance to cook at least one recipe from them. but next time I find myself at the bookstore, the story repeats. will i ever learn? I hope I will.
love your soup, sounds perfect for this weather.
hope you’ll have a wonderful week
It’s so fun to buy a new cookbook, though. You never know what gem of a recipe you might be missing out on, right? I’m hopeless! 🙂
I hope you have a wonderful week, too!
Your Sunday sounds very similar to mine…and I know that I would love to see a series featuring these Sunday meals. This bowl of soup looks so warm and comforting. There is nothing better than a hearty bean soup during these colder months. Thank you for sharing with me. I hope you have a happy Tuesday!
Thanks, Monet! I hope you’re having a great week. 🙂
Is there anything better than an homemade bowl of soup? Perfect for the cold snap going on up here in the Pacific Northwest at the moment! Thanks for sharing…Theresa
Thanks, Theresa. This definitely fits the bill for these cold days. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
I am new here, but I have to agree with everyone, a pantry series would be a fantastic idea! Simple meals are the best and the most comforting ones. I would rather have a nice bowl of vegetable soup like this one than a fancy fussy meal on most any day. This is how people really eat and I would most definitely look forward to reading those types of posts. So glad to have discovered your blog!
Sylvie, thanks so much for stopping by. Most of our meals here tend to lean towards the simple side, too. I’ve just dismissed them as being un-bloggable. I’m reconsidering this now. Have a great week. 🙂
Hi Jean – Happy New Year to you!! What a healthy, hearty and beautiful soup you have here.
Great idea on the quick and easy series. I’m sure everyone that cooks can appreciate a series theme like that and still enjoy a healthful and tasty meal. I have a lot of those types of dishes too, but never seem to blog about them because I don’t measure when cooking it (and I’m too lazy to start measuring it…). 🙂
Cristina, having to measure my ingredients was one of the most daunting tasks for me when I started this blog. I’m so glad I’m not alone. I’m not sure that I ever make anything savory exactly the same but I’d like to think I’m getting better since I’m accountable here now! -) It would be great if you would share your quick and easy meals sometime. I’d love to see them. Have a great week. 🙂
This recipe is perfect esp. since one of my new Year’s resolutions is to eat healthier.
Mine, too! 🙂
Hi Jean-I’m rarely on Twitter, and was glad to see that you are following me there-so I followed you back, and clicked over to your blog.
Your soup looks so comforting, and yummy. I had a similar one that my daughter made too, and posted it on her blog.
I also love your porcini risotto. So beautiful. I will be back again, soon.
Love your blog!
Elisabeth, thanks so much. So glad you stopped by. 🙂
Your Sunday soup looks wonderful, especially after all the festive food we’ve been preparing the past few weeks. I love soup, so comforting, easy and nutritious. I’ve made four soups in the past two weeks – one was very similar to this but with escarole, it might make the blog since I think I wrote it down and took some quick photos 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Jean – hope your year is off to a great start!
I can’t wait to see your soup, Priscilla. I bet escarole would be good in this soup, too. I hope your knee surgery went well and that you’re back on your feet. 🙂
What a hearty and beautiful soup — love the fact it’s vegetarian. Collin and I have been on a soup diet recently due to the overconsumption of desserts and goodies over the holidays… whomp whomp :(.
Beautiful as always!
Thanks, Joy! Looking forward to your regular posts–I missed them! 🙂
i pretty much have most of these ingredients in my pantry:) so im gonna make some tonight for me and my husband. thank you for sharing this.
Oh, great. Please let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Beautiful soup! And I know what you mean about Sundays! When did that happen. I used to sleep in on Sundays. Now its go go go! GREG
Lovely blog…lovely soup recipe! I’m a lover of all soups and this one hits the spot! So nice to meet you! 🙂
Likewise, Sara. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
I’m really looking forward to this new series!! This soup looks like a perfect start, the ease of assembly makes it a treat and the flavors complement each other perfectly. Nicely done!
Soup is the best on a cold winters day. I need to make this soon…it looks delicious! 🙂
Such a great looking soup! And I LOVE the photograph. I recently tried to photograph soup and it was HARD 🙂
That soup looks delicious and filling. Thanks for sharing!
I make a soup that’s almost exactly like this, except I add Italian sausage. Those of you who aren’t vegetarians, and/or who want something a bit heartier may want to try it. I start with removing the raw sausage from the casings, frying it until well browned (crumble with a spatula while it is cooking), then adding onion/garlic and sauteeing a bit – proceed with the recipe from here. I’ve also added prepared basil pesto when I didn’t have any spinach – delicious!!