White bean and spinach soup with rosemary and garlic

I’m sure by now that most of you, like myself, have let your new year’s resolutions fall by the wayside. Life has gotten in the way. With 40-50 hour work weeks, by the time we get home, there isn’t much time left for working out or planning a healthy meal. This has happened to me so often that I have lost count. All I want to do when I get home is fall into bed and wish that it was the weekend already. Well this week, I decided to put a stop to all of this. It’s finally starting to warm up outside, and with that comes the realization that I will soon be doning shorts and eventually a swim suit. I have been getting outside and going for walks with my husband whenever possible, plus researching new, healthy and yummy recipes that don’t take a lot of time to make. I also have myself on a strict budget where I plan out what I’m going to be cooking for the next two weeks, and estimate how much it will cost.

This week, I tried out an incredibly yummy soup that takes about 25 mins to make. Talk about fast! Plus, the only things that you will have to clean afterwards is your cutting board, knife and soup pot. Can I hear a resounding, “woohoo!”? Yes, that’s what I thought!

Without further ado, here is the amazingly easy recipe:

White bean and spinach soup with rosemary and garlic

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1 stalk of celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch spinach (about 4 ounces), trimmed and washed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat until rippling. Add the onions, celery, garlic and rosemary, and cook until softened (not browned!), about 4 minutes.

Add the broth, bay leaf and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until completely wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in the lemon juice.

Serve immediately, drizzling the remaining olive oil over the bowls.