It’s raining.  As a matter of fact, it’s been raining since last night.  So, in honor of the rain I have decided to share one of my super easy, warm and cozy soup recipes. (sorry, I forgot to get pictures of this one; but my hubby said it looked amazing ;)

~Serves 8-10 people~

Food Stuffs:

1 Green pepper
1 med onion
4 cloves or garlic or 1 Tbsp of garlic powder
4 Carrots
6 Stalks of celery (for soup I always use the center of the celery. It has the most flavor)
2 Large cans of Cannellini beans or White Kidney beans
4oz pesto
10 Pieces sun dried tomatoes thinly sliced
48oz  Chicken broth
2 Pkg Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese (they taste the same, but Neufchatel is the healthier option)
1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp cracked pepper

Grab a pot and let’s get started! Quarter onions, celery, green pepper and carrots.  Place veggies and garlic in pot and add chicken broth.   Bring to boil, cover and allow to simmer till all the vegetables are cooked through-about 20min. Remove from heat.  Drain and rinse your beans.  Scoop vegetables from the broth leaving the broth in the pan.
In your food processor, blend spices, vegetables, beans and Neufchatel cheese.  Once they have formed a cream, slowly add chicken broth and blend – you may need to do this in halves depending on the size of your food processor. If you prefer your soup not as thick, you can thin it with milk or more chicken broth.  Next, add tomatoes.  Add the pesto and pulse 6 times or until evenly blended.

Pour back into pot.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Let stand on low heat until you are ready to serve!

Want to dress up your soup?  Well, here is an easy addition:
Grab your pancake griddle or large frying pan.  Get some fresh grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese.  Turn the heat on high.  Using a spoon, scoop cheese into small piles on the griddle.  Flatten out so that you have a nice round disc. Once the cheese starts to turn golden brown remove pan from heat and let cool, slightly.  Carefully remove from pan and set on cookie sheet to cool.  They will harden into crispy, cheesy wafers. Place a wafer on the side of each soup bowl and serve.

Tip: This is one of those soups that freezes well. I usually make a double batch, so that when I have unexpected company I can just pull it out warm it up.

I made this today for my husband’s grandparents-Frank and Merle or “Ma” and “Pop”, as we call them. I served it with chicken salad on an Italian crostini, with lettuce and tomato wedges. The crostini I made myself using fresh Italian bread from the market. I sliced the bread at an angle, about 1/2in thick and popped them into the oven for 15min. It was not only a nice Fall meal, but a lovely visit.

Hope you make this one and please let me know what you think!  I’d also like to hear of what you may have done differently from the recipe.  It’s always fun to learn and try new tricks and methods.

Meet you back in the kitchen on Monday.  Have a fabulous weekend!!