Broccoli & White Bean soup

The calendar reads March and the stores are filled with bunnies both chocolate and plush, but the view out my window is cold, gray rain. Dreary days are tough days for healthy eating. When the sky looks like slate and you need to turn on a lamp to see what you’re typing all I want is cake, muffins, and warm bread. Sadly, I’ve learned that carbohydrates are the devil for me. To stay healthy, I need to eat more protein and healthy fats, staying away from ‘white’ carbohydrates like flour, potatoes, rice, and pasta.

All of those are included in the soups I crave in bad weather. While diet plans encourage vegetable soups in light broth, for me a soup needs to be thick and hearty. Most cream soups are thickened with the flour I avoid. Other recipes get their creaminess came from pureed potatoes, usually the Yukon gold variety. Again, they taste great but they aren’t right for me.

After some experimenting I developed the recipe below that using cannellini beans to provide a creamy texture and lots of broccoli for a cheerful St. Patrick’s day green. With a little bit of a nutty flavor, lots of fiber, and lots of protein cannellini beans make this soup filling, smooth, and healthy. It’s easy to sip from a mug while I’m curled up under a blanket watching the rain and plotting how my hero will save the day.

Broccoli & White Bean soup

4 cups broccoli spears (including the stems, roughly chopped)
3 cups of water
1 14 ounce can of cannellini beans, rinsed
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion
Dash of salt and pepper

Bring water to a boil. Add broccoli and cook until tender. Stir in beans and seasonings. Simmer for one minute. Puree mixture in a blender, one cup at a time. Serve warm, with a garnish of cheddar cheese or tomatoes.

What are your favorite rainy day foods? Are they healthy? Could you make them that way? Don’t be afraid to experiment with your favorite recipes!

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When she’s not cooking, buying, or dreaming about food Rachel Kleinsorge writes steamy paranormal mystery romances. She is currently waiting for the call from her agent, the amazing Carolyn Grayson, while working on her next novel.