Pasta Fagioli Soup

This Italian soup derives its name—fagioli—and its high fiber content from kidney beans. Serve with crusty Italian bread and a Caesar salad for a quick weeknight supper.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups soup and about 1 tablespoon asiago cheese)

Ingredients

• 12  ounces  Santa Fe chicken sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced (such as Amy's)
• 3  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2  cup  uncooked small seashell pasta
• 2  cups  coarsely chopped zucchini (about 2 small zucchini)
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1  teaspoon  dried basil
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1  (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3  cup  (about 1 1/2 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese

Preparation

Heat a large saucepan over high heat. Add sausage; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth and pasta; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes. Add zucchini and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano, and beans; cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until pasta and zucchini are tender. Sprinkle with cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories:  319 (26% from fat)

Fat:  9.2g (sat 3.3g,mono 3.8g,poly 0.8g)

Protein:  21.9g

Carbohydrate:  39.7g

Fiber:  9.6g

Cholesterol:  56mg

Iron:  4.4mg

Sodium:  858mg

Calcium:  56mg

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2005