Seriously, this is the healthiest soup you will ever eat. Just try and prove me wrong…..
A sprig of fresh mint, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese for delicious Spring flavors
This soup has a whole lot of ingredients, and guess what? None of them matter! Too often young/inexperienced chefs are scared off by recipes with long elaborate lists. Don’t be! You can always subtract and add whatever ingredients sound good. In this recipe, specifically, you can use any combination of vegetables that sound good to you. I used a few of my favorites, and added more of the chard and spinach for extra health benefits. Did you know one serving of rainbow chard provides 110% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin A? I didn’t either!
Rainbow Chard- Doesn't it just scream HEALTH
I cooked the brown rice separately and stored it separate from the soup. I added 1/2 cup brown rice every time I had a bowl of soup. 1/2 cup brown rice = one serving grain. You should be eating 6 servings of grains/carbs per day…that’s 6 bowls of soup with 1/2 cup brown rice in each. Woohoo, eat up!
$$Money Saving Tips for this recipe: FROZEN VEGETABLES! I purchased half the vegetables in this recipe fresh and half frozen. Frozen vegetables are way cheaper, but don’t offer the same fresh taste or nutrition.
The Healthiest Soup Ever
Makes 6 Servings
- 1 cup brown rice, dry (makes 3 cups cooked) - about $2 for instant, frozen rice or about $3-4 for 2 pounds dry (I’m a big fan of Trader Joe’s 15-minute Organic Brown Basmati Rice)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil - one quart extra virgin olive oil runs about $5 at most grocery stores and will last you a long time
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 cup) - about $1
- 4 large garlic cloves, diced - I like to buy pre-peeled cloves to make life easier, about $1.50 for one bulb
- 1 trimmed leek, chopped (about 1/2 cup) - about $3 for a 1 pound frozen bag or about $1 fresh for one fresh stalk
- 1 cup snow peas, sliced in half - about $2.50
- 1 large head of rainbow chard, chopped (about 2 cups) – about $3
- 1/2 cup baby carrots, chopped - about $2 for a 1 pound bag
- 1/2 cup peas - about $2 for 1 pound bag frozen
- 1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, defrosted - about $2
- 1 14-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed – about $1.50
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock – about $2 per container (you’ll need 2)
Optional Garnishes (I highly, highly recommend trying all three of these. Such an amazing flavor combo!)
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges - about $1
- Fresh mint, removed from the stem - about $2 for a large bunch/ 1 ounce
- Grated Parmesan cheese - Approximately $4 for 8 ounces (Splurge on the real stuff, it’s worth it!)
Approximate Cost: $18, which makes 6 servings at $3 each
Approximate cooking time: Crock-Pot: about 2 hours / Stove-top: about 35 minutes
Cook the brown rice based on directions on the product. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat on the stove-top. Add onion, garlic and leek to skillet. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until leeks and onions are soft and slightly mushy, stirring occasionally.
Cook onions, garlic, and leeks in olive oil over medium heat until softened
If using a Crock-pot: Add onion, garlic, leek mixture to crock pot. Add snow peas, rainbow chard, carrots, peas, spinach, cannellini beans and chicken stock to Crock-pot and cook on low for 3 hours or high for 1.5 hours.
If cooking over a stove-top: Add 1/2 cup chicken stock to a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add rainbow chard and carrots and simmer for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the already cooked onion, garlic, leek mixture. Add snow peas, peas, spinach, cannellini beans and remaining 3.5 cups chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Add 1/2 cup cooked brown rice to desired serving of soup. Mix in some lemon juice and Parmesan cheese and serve with a sprig of fresh mint. Enjoy the deliciousness!
What I’m listening to right now. Can’t.get.enough.
What I ate last night for dinner: a bangin’ low-fat shrimp dish Chantal made me 
