Recipe of the Week: Pasta, Navy Bean and Spinach Soup

For Christmas, C gave me the healthy eating cookbook "Skinny Bitch" by Kim Barnouin. I'm really excited about it-- she explains in the intro that the book isn't about being skinny, but taking control of all the food you eat (it is a Vegan cookbook), being aware of products that are actually bad for you, and just making life healthier in general. While I don't plan on becoming a Vegan anytime soon, I am excited about trying out recipes like Curried Chickpea Cakes and Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto. 

This week being so cold, I decided my first recipe would be a soup. Bypassing the Raw Green Soup recipe that uses Vitamix as its base, I went went something more familiar:

Pasta, Navy Bean, and Spinach Soup

Ingredients

I haven't made it yet, but expect it to look
something like this. {via}

• 2 TBS grapeseed oil (which, I've never used... but figured to try it out. It was $10 at the local "healthy foods" grocery store)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
• 1 (15-oz) can navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (32-oz) carton vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• Spring of fresh thyme or rosemary
• 1 cup cooked pasta, small shape
• 2 TBS chopped fresh basil
• Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Directions

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the potato, tomatoes, and spinach... saute 2 minutes. Add the beans, broth, water, salt, and thyme or rosemary and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium and cook about 20 minutes, or until potato is soft. Add cooked pasta to the soup, and cook 5 minutes. Garnish each serving with basil and ground pepper.