Mediterranean Vegetable Soup

John and I have really been trying to eat healthier in ’09.  I keep reading about how you should start each meal with either a cup of vegetable soup or some salad to help fill your stomach up a little with something healthy before you eat your main meal.

Dr. Barbara Rolls, a weight control researcher at Pennsylvania State University and author of “The Volumetrics Eating Plan,” found that eating soup as a first course helped study participants lose weight because they consumed fewer total calories in the rest of the meal.

Rolls’ theory is that the more water a food contains the more full we feel. And the lower the energy density of a food (the concentration of fat and calories) the more we can eat.

Makes sense right?  So I was on the hunt for a delicious and relatively simple vegetable soup and I definitely found one.  One thing I love about this recipe is that it is super versatile.  You can use whatever combination of vegetables, stock and beans that you like.  Without further adieu, here it is.

Mediterranean Vegetable Soup

• 2T. Olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced
• 4 c. vegetable, chicken or beef broth
• 2 (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, not drained
• 2 T. fresh basil, chopped (if you can find this in a tube, in the produce section, even better!)
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 (15 oz.) cans of beans, drained and rinsed (I used black beans and garbanzo beans)
• 1 c. orzo pasta (or whatever type of pasta you like)
• Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot and celery, and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, broth, water, tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and beans.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.  Before serving, I stirred in some hot sauce as well, and it was a great addition!

Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

*McPhee hint:  After storing in the fridge, the soup became very thick by the next day because we used double the orzo (to make it more stew-like).  We  warmed some chicken broth on the stove, added the leftover soup, and it stretched even further!

Do you know what goes great with this soup?  A simple spinach salad.  I made ours with dried cherries, soybeans (shelled edamame from the frozen foods section), toasted almonds, feta and this homemade vinaigrette.

Versatile Vinaigrette

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pinch white sugar
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley (once again, the refrigerated tubes are perfect for this!)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, put through garlic press or minced

Whisk all ingredients together, or even better, put into a pour-top tupperware and shake (I would imagine this would be a good job for the kids!)

Try these recipes and let me know how you like them.  They were real winners at this house!

Bon Apetit!