Mediterranean white bean soup with escarole

Olive Oil, 1 tbsp
Leeks, 1 cup, sliced
Beans, navy, 1.5 cup, canned or pre-cooked
Crushed Tomatoes, (14.5 oz can)
*powder veeggi broth, 1 TB
Oregano, ground, .25 tsp
Thyme, ground, .25 tsp
Basil, fresh, 2 tbsp
Salt, 0.5 tsp
Escarole, 8 cup or 0.5 lb
*Balsamic Vinegar, 1 tbsp
Additional basil for garnish

In a large soup pot, heat oil and saute leeks for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add the beans, tomatoes, 2 c boiling water, stock powder, herbs, and salt and bring to a boil over high heat.

While the soup is coming to a boil, stack the escarole leaves and coarsely chop them. Once soup is boiling, stir in the escarole. Cook over medium heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the escarole is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with the balsamic vinegar and pepper. Stir in any basil for garnish just before serving.

*Personal note: I prepare my navy beans in a pressure cooker beforehand. Here's my recipe for that: 1 lb navy beans, 1 onion, quartered, 2 bay leaves. Bring to high pressure and cook for 4 minutes. I use the excess water from this pressure cooking as the 2 c water in this recipe, which makes it a more robust and flavorful soup.

Serving Size: Makes 4 2-cup servings

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CHIX96.