Italian Vegetable Soup

I love flavorful soups that aren’t too filling and I recently found the perfect soup for my taste buds. Italian Vegetable Soup!  It’s light and easy to make. You can serve this as a precursor to a meal, or you can make it a meal all on its own. My hubby and I enjoyed it for lunch with toasted, buttered bread. It’s a perfect soup for the spring season, and comes in handy on Fridays if you observe lent.

Just the right amount of tiny shell pasta decorates this soup. And not only do you get a good serving of veggies, but you’ll enjoy a bit of protein because this Italian Vegetable Soup features cannellini beans.

Soup is one of my hubby’s favorite forms of food. I bought him a soup cookbook this past Christmas and we’re having fun exploring all the recipes in it.

The Ultimate Soup Bible is the cookbook I found for him. You’ll find over 400 recipes inside!  I can’t wait to try most of them.

If you want a light, refreshing soup that’s flavorful and packed with vitamins and minerals, give Italian Vegetable Soup a try!

Italian Vegetable Soup

2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 oz. green cabbage, shredded
4 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 cup cooked cannellini beans
1 oz. (1/4 cup) tiny shell pasta
salt and pepper to taste

Put vegetable stock and bay leaf into a large pan and bring to boil. Add the carrot, leek and celery; cover and simmer for 6 minutes until vegetables are softened but not tender. Add the cabbage, beans and pasta, then simmer uncovered for 5 minutes until vegetables are tender and pasta is al dente.

Remove the bay leaf and season to taste. Ladle soup into warmed soup bowls and serve immediately. Enjoy!