vegtable soups

[loridori]

hi, as autumn is here, i am looking for recipes for different vegtable soups. I am very careful about my weight try and make mostly low fat foods. any suggestions out there? thanks

[deniseannsc]

I don't have any suggestions at this time, but there is a monthly soup thread that you can check out. They always have some wonderful suggestions and I'm sure you would find some there.

denise

[rljohnsufl]

Last night I made Rachael Ray's Pasta e Fagioli, and it was great. DBF and I agreed it is the best veggie soup I've ever made (I would say the best soup I've ever made, but he's still partial to CL's Baked Potato Soup :D ). I think the secret is to use good ingredients. I used my own homemade broth that I had frozen, fresh thyme and rosemary, and a small can of Muir's Glen Organic Tomato Sauce in place of the tomato paste. I would caution against putting whole stalks of rosemary in the soup, though, because all the leaves fell off in the soup and I had these long, tough rosemary leaves floating around in it. They did give the broth a great flavor, though. The recipe calls for 2 tbs of oil, but that's a good fat. Instead, I would skip the grated cheese at the end. And you could also reduce the amount of pasta.

Pasta e Fagioli by Rachael Ray

3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. evoo
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium yellow-skinned onion, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 stems fresh rosemary, left whole
several sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves stripped from stems and chopped, about 2-3 T. (I have used dried when fresh is not available)
coarse salt and pepper to taste
3 cans (15 oz. each) no-fat, low-sodium chicken broth (and water if necessary)
1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans (small white beans work best)
1 cup ditalini pasta
(bit of tomato paste or sauce)
grated Parm. cheese

Heat garlic in olive oil over medium heat in a deep pot. Add vegetables, rosemary and thyme, a little salt and pepper. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add beans and ditalini (and tomato sauce or paste). Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 10 minutes, until pasta is al dente. Serve with a generous amount of grated cheese on top and crusty bread. Serves at least 4.