After a rainy dreary day like today, I couldn’t wait to get my little man down for a nap so I could make some soup. A friend of mine shared this recipe with me from Souper Jenny’s. By the way, that place is one of my favorite lunch spots in Atlanta. And, they have gluten free options, which is a big plus in my book!
On to the soup…
Although I did make a few changes from Jenny’s Tuscan Soup, I think it turned out really well! What I love about this soup so much is that there is so much possibility for variety. You could do a pound ground turkey cooked in coconut oil, or make turkey meatballs (using just almond meal, egg and turkey & cook it on 350 or 35 minutes), or just slice up some Wellshire or other turkey or chicken sausage (without nitrates of course) and add it to the soup. You could add some navy or white beans (per Katherine’s great suggestion, and thanks for the recipe!), or add any other veggies that your family enjoys. There are so many possibilities so be creative with it!
Tuscan Soup
- 1-2 tbsp grass fed butter (I use Kerrygold from Publix)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 6-7 cloves of garlic (TJ’s prepackaged is a time saver!)
- 1 tbsp (I think I’ll use a little less next time) rosemary
- 5 carrots (I buy the precut shredded carrots and used about a handful)
- 2 zuchinni, chopped
- 2 yellow squash, chopped
- kale, 3 big handfuls if using the precut
- 1 can organic chopped tomatoes
- celtic sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 quart organic chicken broth (Be sure it’s organic. If it’s not, it may have some MSG, even if it says “No MSG added”. Key word is “added”. It’s still in there. I’ve actually had a physical reaction from this before but my body is pretty sensitive.)
- Whole chicken, roast or baked (you can do a rotisserie if time is an issue, or use some of the protein suggestions below.)
Heat a large stock pot over medium heat and add butter, onion, garlic and rosemary until soft. Then add all your vegetables. Pour in broth until it covers ingredients by an inch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Last add in your meat, salt, pepper, top with parmesan cheese! So easy and so delicious, and, both my kids gave it a thumbs up!
And, I do have to say the Trader Joe’s Parmesan Cheese really makes this soup! That cheese makes anything delicious from soup to steamed veggies to chicken parmasean to lasagna. We use it a lot if you can’t tell! First, I love that it’s made with milk from cows not treated with rBST (artifical growth hormones) and second, I love that they use raw cow’s milk. That means it has many healthy enzymes that our bodies need, and don’t get from things that are pasteurized.