North Woods Bean Soup

I apologize for slacking on this blog...but the Holiday season just got really busy and two blogs can be challenging.

I made this soup the other night and we thought it was really yummy. There is nothing better than a warm bowl of soup with crusty yummy bread on a lazy winter weeknight. The best part is...it is light. I got the original recipe here.

I kept the recipe pretty true with a few changes. So here is what I did.

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 cup reg. carrots cut into rounds(I doubled the carrots)

1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
7 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 (15.8-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed (i actually used dried bean and just soaked them overnight...not as convenient but cheaper)
1 (12-ounce) bag fresh baby spinach leaves (i doubled the spinach)

Directions

Heat a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and kielbasa; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes. Add the broth, Italian seasoning, pepper, and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
Add the spinach, stirring until spinach wilts.

The original recipe does call for throwing some in the blender to make a smoother soup. I find this to be messy as I don't own an immersion blender so I skipped that.

The leftovers of this were good the next day, so all in all a great family recipe. JT enjoyed it and Kennedy pretty much picked at it...she did eat the carrots and kielbasa...but not the spinach!