Easy, pleasy Tuscan soup

My friend Michelle was looking to impress someone with a healthy dish a while back. She sent a note saying she wanted some sort of healthy soup that was easy to make that had a big taste. She said she doesn't cook too often.

Simple, tasty and healthy. Hmmmm.

Mediterranean food is always a good choice when those are your criteria. Heavy on the veggies and the beans. Easy to cook and, oh, so tasty.

So I dug through my recipe files and found this soup recipe and sent it to her.  Her's was such a success that I decided to make some of my own.

Not much time but lots of flavor.

Tuscan Soup

1 can of canellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 of a large onion, diced 
2 carrots, diced 
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 small zucchini, diced 
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried of dried sage
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
4 cups of vegetable broth
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of chopped spinach leaves
1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese, optional

• In a small bowl, mash half of the beans and set them aside.
• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, the carrots, the celery, the zucchini, the garlic, the thyme, the sage, a 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and a 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, and then cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
• Add the broth and the tomatoes with the juice and bring the whole thing to a boil. Add the mashed beans, the whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook for about three more minutes.

Vegetarian.