Vegan low cal version of Cannellini Bean and Spinach Soup

In the past I've made this soup with a little crumbled bacon and bacon fat as a base, or some nice sausage. But lately I've been trying to ease up a bit off the animal products. I still eat meat (mostly fish and seafood) but I'm aiming to have at least three vegetarian or vegan dinners per week. So here's my vegan version.

10 minutes prep time
20 minutes cook time
Makes 6 servings



- 1.5 cups of cannellini beans (feel free to substitute any other white bean. You can use a can or soak dried beans overnight before making this recipe)
- 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- one cup of uncooked orzo
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- one small or medium onion, diced
- one teaspoon of dried thyme
- one teaspoon of dried basil
- juice of one lemon
- 4 cups of vegetable stock
- 3 cups of water (you can use more vegetable stock too, but I find it unnecessary)
- 3 cups of fresh wash spinach (I prefer regular spinach but baby spinach is great too)
- fresh parsley to taste (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste

In a stockpot, heat the olive oil, and add the onion and garlic and stir for a few minutes, until the onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the thyme and basil and stir for another minute, until fragrant.

Add vegetable stock, water, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, and add the orzo. Simmer until the orzo is al dente.

Stir in the beans, and simmer for another five minutes.

In each separate bowl, pile high with the fresh spinach. Ladle the soup over the spinach and add lemon juice, salt, and parsley to taste. The hot soup will wilt the spinach just right.

Each serving: 177 calories, 23 grams of carbohydrates (inc 9 grams of fiber), 11 grams of protein.

Enjoy!