December Healthy Recipe
Terri Sakelaris, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator
This American Diabetes Association recipe is great for a cold winter night with warm bread. This soup is easy to make using your leftover vegetables from a holiday meal.
Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups vegetables (uncooked, chopped, such as any combination of bell peppers, carrots, green beans, yellow summer squash or zucchini)
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning blend (crumbled)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (low-sodium vegetable broth or fat-free, low-sodium)
1 cup fresh spinach leaves (loosely packed, coarsely chopped)
1 tbsp Parmesan cheese (shredded or grated)
Instructions:
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat, swirling to coat the bottom. Cook the 2 cups chopped vegetables, onion, and seasoning blend for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender-crisp, stirring occasionally. (If the vegetables get dry or start to scorch, add a little water to the saucepan)
- Stir in the broth. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes so the flavors blend, stirring occasionally. Stir in the spinach. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese.
- Tips: Chop firmer vegetables, such as carrots, into smaller pieces than more tender vegetables, such as zucchini, so all the vegetables will cook at about the same rate. If you want this dish to be vegetarian, be sure to use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Makes 2 servings. Serving size, 1 1/4 cups
Calories: 95
Total Fat: 3.5 grams
Saturated Fat: 0.9 grams
Cholesterol: 5 mg
Sodium: 200 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 13 grams
Dietary Fiber: 4 grams
Total Sugars: 6 grams
Protein: 3 grams
