We, like many of you, enjoy Black-eyed peas or beans, collard greens cooked with ham, and golden cornbread on New Year’s Day. These are after-all good luck foods and lord knows we need all the luck we can get these days.

When I peered into my refrigerator this morning, various bins & containers stared back at me, as if to say “pick me, pick me.” This is a classic eat out of the fridge/pantry recipe. It’s intended to be adapted to ingredients already on hand.

Soup Ingredients & Variations

• Veggies & aromatics – as with most of my soups, I began with diced onion, carrot and garlic. If I had celery I would have added that as well.
• Greens – next came leftover collard greens from New Year’s Day. I also included fresh spinach. Kale or cabbage would have been great additions as well.
• Beans – I chose a can of white beans, but black eyed peas, pintos or your favorite bean works!
• Ham (optional) – our collards had small chunks of ham. You could use ham or bacon or omit for a vegetarian version.
• Broth – I had homemade veggie stock in the freezer. You could use vegetable or chicken broth.
• Seasoning – a little soy sauce (or coconut aminos for GF version) and apple cider vinegar gave this broth a nice umami finish.
• Rustic croutons – I had a nice hunk of Fire Roasted Cheddar Golden Cornbread begging to be included, so I cubed it up and toasted in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Building the Soup

• If serving with rustic cornbread croutons, lay cornbread cubes on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F. for 10 minutes, turning over midway through cooking.
• In a heavy pot or dutch oven, sauté diced onion and carrots in a little olive oil until just tender.
• Stir in a clove or two of garlic and cook an additional minute.
• Add in chopped collard greens (or kale or cabbage), cubed ham (if using), and veggie broth.
• Simmer until collards are tender.
• Add beans and heat through.
• Season with apple cider vinegar and soy sauce (or coconut aminos).
• Finish with a couple handfuls of fresh spinach.
• Serve in big bowls topped with cornbread croutons

Beneficial Heart Healthy Ingredients

• This soup is packed with heart healthy leafy greens which provide our bodies with minerals and vitamins. They’re also high in nitrates which are shown to open blood vessels, encouraging healthy blood flow.
• Beans are also a heart healthy choice, as studies show they can help to reduce cholesterol. If using canned beans look for low sodium or at minimum rinse before adding to your soups.
• Lastly, when making soup from scratch you are able to control the amount of sodium. Homemade Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth are not only economical, but they are a great alternative to boxed or canned broths which tend to have high sodium levels and often contain msg.

As for this incredibly flavorful and satisfying Rustic White Bean & Greens Heart Healthy Soup, I’m serving up big bowls full for lunch! But it also makes a delicious Meatless Monday Meal (omit ham).

And for January, also known as National Soup Month – I hope delicious soups grace your tables all month long. Wishing you heart health and happiness in the New Year!

Looking for soup recipe inspiration? Check out our 50+ Homemade Soup Recipes Roundup!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Rustic White Bean & Greens Heart Healthy Soup

As for this incredibly flavorful and satisfying Rustic White Bean & Greens Heart Healthy Soup, I'm serving up big bowls full for lunch!

Course Soup

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the White Bean & Greens Soup

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 carrots diced
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 cups collard greens, kale and/or cabbage chopped
• 1/2 cup cooked ham (optional) diced
• 1 can white beans, pinto beans, black eyed peas, or favorite beans rinsed and drained
• 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 Tablespoon coconut aminos (or soy sauce) or to taste
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar or to taste
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves optional

For the Cornbread Croutons

• 1 cup cubed cornbread

Instructions

For the Soup

• In a 2 or 3 quart heavy pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced carrot and onion and sauté until just tender, about 7-10 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.
• Add collard greens (or kale or cabbage) and saute another 10 minutes or until just tender. Add ham (if using), rinsed beans and broth. Bring to a gentle simmer. Add coconut aminos (or soy) and apple cider vinegar, adjust to taste. Finish by adding fresh spinach just before serving.
• Serve in big bowls topped with cornbread croutons (optional).

For the Cornbread Croutons

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Cut cornbread into 1-inch cubes. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time.

The post Rustic White Bean & Greens Heart Healthy Soup appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I lay in bed Sunday morning pretending to be asleep.  There was a steady rain tapping on the window, the kind that lulls you to sleep.  It was not my morning to get up with the dogs (yet if I were already awake when the first bark came would it seem only reasonable that I take them out, even though I did the day before).  These are my words, we’re not really score keepers.

I justified my silent stillness by creating recipes in my mind.  Savory Egg Stuffed Poblano Peppers nestled on a bed of enchilada sauced white beans.  I did not take the dogs out.

This dish was everything I hoped it would be.  It is savory and comfortable.  A little smoky yet fresh with avocado, fine diced red onion and cilantro.  And then there are baked eggs with yolks so creamy.  We enjoyed it for brunch.  Savory Egg Stuffed Poblano Peppers would make an equally wonderful protein packed vegetarian meal.

The ‘bed’ for this recipe is simple.  White beans, such as Great Northern or Cannellini, combined with mild diced green chiles and a cup of Homemade Enchilada Sauce.

For the flame roasted poblano stuffing I sautéed corn, white onion, red onion, and jalapeno until tender, then stirred in cilantro, cream cheese and pepperjack cheese.

Recipe Note:  To remove the tough skin from the poblano peppers follow these easy steps:

1. Lay the peppers across your gas-stove burners, gas grill or under the broiler set on high.
2. Turn them with metal tongs until all sides are nice and black as shown in the picture above.
3. Put them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap until they are cool enough to handle.
4. Run them under water and gently loosen the blackened skin.  Most of it will just wash away.
5. Cut a T slit the length of the peppers to remove the seeds.
   

Stuff, and I mean generously ‘stuff’ your peppers full of the onion/corn/cheese mixture.  Then make a well in the center of each and add an egg.  Got a little extra shredded cheese (of course you do), sprinkle it over the entire dish.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes until egg whites are set.  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before adding sliced avocado, fine diced red onion and cilantro to finish.

This is a dream recipe, albeit a day-dream recipe.  I think taking the dogs out on any morning I served Savory Egg Stuffed Poblano Peppers would be considered a fair trade.

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Savory Egg Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the stuffed peppers…

• 2 poblano peppers
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1/2 cup white onion diced
• 1/4 cup red onion fine diced
• 1 jalapeno fine diced
• salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
• 2 ounces cream cheese softened
• 2 ounces pepperjack cheese shredded
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese

For enchiladas sauced white beans…

• 1 can white beans such as Great Northern or Cannellini, rinsed & drained
• 1 can diced mild green chiles
• 1 cup Homemade Enchilada Sauce

To serve…

• 1 avocado sliced
• 2 Tbl. red onion fine diced
• 2 Tbl. cilantro leaves

Instructions

For enchilada sauced white beans…

• Prepare enchilada sauce. Combine with white beans and mild green chiles. Pour into a baking dish.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For the stuffed peppers…

• Flame roast poblano peppers (see Recipe Note in Post).
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté corn, onion and jalapeno until tender. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro, cream cheese and shredded cheese until well combined. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Allow to cool slightly.
• Remove seeds from peppers. Stuff generously with corn/onion/cheese mixture. Nestle into baking dish. Make a well in the center of each pepper. Add egg. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
• Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until egg whites are set. Allow to rest 10 minutes. Serve with sliced avocado, fine diced red onion and fresh cilantro leaves.

The post Savory Egg Stuffed Poblano Peppers appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I made a really good Sausage & Thyme Cassoulet.  I filled it with spicy Italian turkey sausage, carrots, sweet potato, kale, onion, tomatoes, garlic, and lots of fresh thyme.  A nice slow cook turned all those flavors into the heartiest of healthy meals.

As we embrace these winter months I’ve been enjoying recipes that include white beans.  They have a nice way of bringing creaminess to a dish without adding unwanted fat and calories.  Speaking of unwanted fat and calories, we routinely use Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage in place of regular sausage without ever sacrificing flavor.

Once the cassoulet ingredients are sautéed for a bit, a little chicken broth is added, before being topped with a buttered spinach & panko breadcrumb topping.

Our Sausage & Thyme Cassoulet finishes in a slow oven for at least an hour.  Yes, if you wanted to make this a quick weeknight meal, the vegetables could be simmered on the stove top until just tender then finished in the oven.  I’m a fan of letting it go low and slow until some of the ingredients start to break down and meld their flavors.

One bite and you’ll think “where did all this flavor come from?”  That my dear is the beauty of a cassoulet.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Sausage & Thyme Cassoulet

A nice slow cook turned all those flavors into the heartiest of healthy meals. One bite and you'll think "where did all this flavor come from?"  That my dear is the beauty of a cassoulet.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 3 links Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage or favorite, casings removed
• 2 Tbl. olive oil divided
• 1 14.5- ounce can diced tomatoes I used Fire Roasted
• 1 19- ounce can Cannellini Beans rinsed and drained
• 1 medium sweet potato peeled & small cubed
• 2 carrots peeled and sliced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 cups fresh kale chopped & tough stems removed
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning
• salt & pepper to taste

For the crumb topping…

• 2 cups loose fresh spinach leaves finely chopped
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbl. melted butter
• pinch salt

Instructions

• Remove casings from sausage links. In a heavy bottom pan, heat 1 Tbl. olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook through, breaking up with a wooden spoon during cooking. Remove sausage to drain on paper towels. Pour off fat from pan.
• Add 1 Tbl. olive oil to pan, sauté onion, carrot, and sweet potato for about 5 minutes. Add in cooked sausage, kale, beans, diced tomatoes with juice, chicken broth, thyme, and seasonings. Cover; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine breadcrumb ingredients and sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until vegetables are very tender.

The post Sausage & Thyme Cassoulet appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I’m on a roll lately with easy week-night meals.  And I LOVE it!!  This White Chicken Chili {with Fire Roasted Poblano Peppers} fits all the requirements.  Quick & easy, figure friendly, and most importantly a dish the whole family with enjoy!

I started with leftover cooked chicken, but you can easily put chicken breasts in the slow cooker on your way out the door and still have dinner on the table after a busy day in under 30 minutes.

I’ve become a huge fan of poblano peppers.  They’ve got wonderful flavor without the strong flavor of a bell pepper or the heat from a jalapeno.  To remove the tough skin from the poblano peppers follow these easy steps:

1. Lay the peppers across your gas-stove burners, gas grill or under the broiler set on high.
2. Turn them with metal tongs until all sides are nice and black as shown in the picture above.
3. Put them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap until they are cool enough to handle.
4. Run them under water and gently loosen the blackened skin.  Most of it will just wash away.
5. Cut a slit the length of the peppers to remove the seeds.

Nothing fancy or complicated about this White Chicken Chili {with Fire Roasted Poblano Peppers} recipe.  Just simple ingredients that come together beautifully.  I brought leftovers to the office for my Healthy Choices lunch buddy and I.  With only 5 Weight Watchers Pts+ per serving, we’ve already added this soup to our weekly rotation.

I can’t express often enough the goodness that comes from roasting a whole chicken each week.  Roast Chicken dinner on day one with homemade chicken broth to follow.  Not to mention the endless recipe possibilities that begin with leftover cooked chicken.

All my best,
xo Libby

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White Chicken Chili {with Fire Roasted Poblano Peppers}

This White Chicken Chili {with Fire Roasted Poblano Peppers} is quick & easy, figure friendly, and a dish the whole family with enjoy!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked chicken shredded (1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 2 poblano peppers fire roasted, skins & seeds removed, chopped
• 1 onion diced
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground oregano
• cayenne to taste
• 1 can white beans rinsed & drained
• fresh cilantro
• avocado
• sour cream

Instructions

• Shred or dice cooked chicken. Reserve.
• Char poblano peppers over open flame or under broiler until blackened on all sides. Place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to steam for about 10 minutes. Run peppers under cool water rinsing away blackened skin. Remove stem and seeds. Dice.
• Cook diced onion and poblano pepper in olive oil until tender. Add cooked chicken, broth, corn and seasonings. Bring to gentle simmer until heated through. Adjust salt & pepper to taste.
• Serve with diced avocado, fresh cilantro and sour cream.

Notes

1/4th recipe (about 1 1/2 cups) = 5 WW Pts+

The post White Chicken Chili {with Fire Roasted Poblano Peppers} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Hanging on to every fresh produce summer moment over here on Lemony Thyme.  I’m calling this soup Roasted Veggie & White Bean Chowder because it has a creaminess about it and chowders are amazing.  The beautiful thing is the creamy came from the white beans not cream or butter.  That puts this soup squarely in our Healthy Choices category.

Our soup began, like most of our soups do, with a sauté of onion, carrots and celery.  I decided to roast the next veggie layer of flavors, which consisted of summer squash, zucchini and a gorgeous farmers market ‘very ripe’ yellow tomato.  Let’s take a minute to give a shout out to roasted veggies, no matter how you enjoy them.  Roasting a pan of diced veggies in a bit of olive oil & fresh herb sprigs for 20 minutes completely elevates their flavors.

This dish was a recipe-in-motion from the start.  Since today is the eve of a new work week, I had healthy lunch choices on the brain.  My goal was to add very little fat to this recipe and instead let the veggies work their magic.  I pureed half of the white beans with some veggie broth to help thicken the soup.  The result, our Roasted Veggie & White Bean Chowder had a savory, almost chicken pot pie feel.  In the very best way.

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Roasted Veggie & White Bean Chowder

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 onion diced
• 3-4 carrots diced
• 2-3 celery ribs sliced
• 1 tsp. Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 Tbl. olive oil divided
• 2 zucchini sliced & diced
• 2 summer squash sliced & diced
• 1 large or 2 small yellow or red tomatoes, sliced
• 1 15-ounce can white beans
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• pinch cayenne pepper
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Heat 1 Tbl. olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, celery, thyme sprigs and Mrs. Dash; sauté until tender.
• Meanwhile, put a single layer of zucchini, squash and tomato onto an olive oil coated shallow baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then stir and bake for 10 additional minutes; discard thyme sprig and add to Dutch oven.
• Combine half of the beans with 2 cups of broth in blender and puree. Add to Dutch oven with remaining broth. Simmer for 10 minutes. Season with cayenne, salt & pepper.

The post Roasted Veggie & White Bean Chowder appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I have a treasured folder where I keep paper copies of recipes.  Some jotted down on scratch paper, others torn from magazines, and lots printed from the pages of fellow bloggers I admire.  This morning I found this Italian White Bean Dip recipe that I had torn from a Weight Watchers hand out….months ago.  Time to revisit.

This recipe was also an excuse to break out my Vitamix that has not been used as often as I’d hoped.  Shame on me.  What a dream machine it is.

There are three components to this dip.  The base of white beans infused with fresh lemon flavor.  Next comes the Basil Pesto, which was a wonderful way to use the fresh basil that is thriving in our Aero-Garden right now.  Lastly comes diced ripe tomato rounding out the Italian flavors.

When it came time to serve this dip, there wasn’t a chip or cracker or even a hunk of bread to be found.  I’ve been wanting to try my hand at Homemade Pita Bread.  There was no time like the present to give it a go.

I found this step-by-step recipe over at The Kitchn.  Do you love this site as much as I do?? I feel like I’m getting free cooking lessons every time I log in.  Back to the Pita Bread.  It’s delicious.  However, after my first attempt (and there will be many more) my bread was more like Naan than Pita.  We had no pockets, just some cute air bubbles (see tips from The Kitchn on how to correct this).

Here’s my little step-by-step summary.  Until perfected I’ll have you refer to The Kitchn’s page for the recipe.

A quick & easy 5-ingredient dough comes together with minimal elbow grease (about 5-7 minutes of kneading).

The dough then rises for 1-2 hours.  By this time it was 6:30 pm, the heavenly Italian White Bean Dip was calling me.  I went with an hour, probably should have given it more time.

Lesson #1 ~ Good things come to those who wait.

The dough is then cut into 8 pcs. that get rolled out into thin disks.

Get your cast iron skillet good and hot and coat it with a little oil.  My first two batches were a bit oil sogged. 

Lesson #2 ~ Less is more.

The directions said to cook for 1-2 minutes per side.  That seemed like a long time.

Refer back to Lesson #1.

The end result yielded 6 out of 8…pretty darn good looking Pita Breads.  No we didn’t have “pockets” for stuffing, but these flat breads would be fantastic with our Lamb Gyros or cut up and served with Shelby’s Yummus Hummus or turned into Flat Bread Pizzas.

As for our Italian White Bean Dip, I delivered it to my office today to Share the Love.  They looooved the dip with it’s hummus-like texture and fresh lemony pop.  And they loved the homemade pita bread as well.  A great Healthy Choices recipe weighing in at only 3 WW Pts+ per serving.  I can dig it.

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Italian White Bean Dip

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Weight Watchers

Ingredients

• 1 can 13.5-ounce white northern beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 Tbl. fresh lemon juice or less to taste
• 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 1 Tbl. water
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 cup basil pesto see recipe link in post
• 1 plum tomato diced
• Homemade Pita Bread recipe link in post

Instructions

• Put beans, lemon juice, lemon zest, water, salt & pepper in a food processor or blender; process until smooth.
• Scrape dip into a serving dish; swirl in basil pesto. Chill 30 minutes then top with diced tomato.
• WW Pts+ per serving.
• Serve with Homemade Pita Bread. WW Pts+ not calculated.

Notes

For gluten-free version serve with corn chips or veggie sticks.

The post Italian White Bean Dip {with Homemade Pita Bread} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Bean With Bacon Soup.  Reminds me of a joke….  

My favorite comedian George Carlin once did a skit about running out of deodorant. As he said it can happen to all of us, even in the nicest homes.  His advice…if you do run out of deodorant, go into the kitchen and put a bay leaf under each arm.  It doesn’t stop you from perspiring, but you smell like soup!  Keeps your friends on their toes.  “Hey, who’s wearing Chicken Vegetable?” “Not me, I have Bean With Bacon.”

Recipe tip:  We had a ham bone in the freezer that was ready for prime time.  However, if you don’t, check with your local Honey Baked Ham store.  They’ll often sell them fairly cheap ($5.00 range) and they still have a nice amount of meat on them.  Or you can skip the ham bone completely, use a nice rich chicken stock, and add a little extra bacon.

Lemony Thyme Insider Tidbit:  I met George Carlin personally.  I was sitting at a table in the piano lounge at Bally’s when I noticed a familiar face at the bar.  It was George Carlin, ordering a glass of red wine to go.  I couldn’t help myself as he approached.  This is after all the man who taught me how to appreciate standup comedy (and swear).  “I just have to tell you how much I love you.”  That’s what I said.  We exchanged pleasantries…who am I kidding I have no idea what he said until he ‘bid us adieu’ and said “I hope you have a very interesting dusk.”  That’s the last thing he ever said to me.

Bread Machine Bread Bowls Recipe.

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Bean With Bacon Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon
• 1 large onion diced
• 2 carrots diced
• 2 celery ribs sliced
• 1 sweet potato small cubed
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 ham bone
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. dried sage
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• salt to taste
• 1 cup dried great northern beans cooked or 1 15-ounce can drained and rinsed
• grated Parmesan cheese to serve
• optional bread bowls.

Instructions

• In Dutch oven, cook bacon until browned and crispy. Remove to drain on paper towels. Add onion, carrots, celery and sweet potato and sauté until just tender. Add in garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant. Remove veggies from pan and reserve. Add broth, ham bone, and seasoning to pan; simmer for 1 hour, skimming fat periodically.
• Remove ham bone and cut off all meat. Add reserved veggies, bacon, cooked beans, and reserved ham pieces and simmer 10 minutes until heated through.
• Serve in bowl or bread bowls. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

The post Bean With Bacon Soup appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Italian Bean Soup with Mini-Meatballs. 

I intentionally did not call this a recipe for Pasta e fagioli, although it was clearly my inspiration. 

Pasta e fagioli is traditionally a meatless dish, comprised of pasta and beans in a tomato base.  When I did my standard recipe research I had a hard time avoiding the bazillion copycat recipes for Olive Garden’s Pasta e fagioli.  

We may be the only family I know who has not had a bowl of Olive Garden’s Pasta e fagioli.  I’m sure it’s delicious but I chose not to compete with the masses.

Instead I’m delivering Italian Bean Soup with Mini-Meatballs, inspired by Pasta e fagioli AND the delicious Italian Meatballs we enjoyed over the weekend.  I think this was a combination of win.

I’ve made it known that I have a soft spot for meatballs.  In fact I’ve even shared with you my Food Truck Fantasy (Mobile Meatballs).  They seemed like a great combination with this tomato based soup.  I prebaked the meatballs for 10 minutes so they would firm up a bit and hold their shape when added to the soup.  They then completed their cooking nestled in the fabulous broth.

Besides the white beans, the addition of small pasta, such as Ditalini is key in this soup.  I cooked the pasta separately and added it to individual serving bowls.  This way, if there were any leftovers, the pasta didn’t drink up all of our broth.  I’m delivering a bowl of Italian Bean Soup with Mini-Meatballs to one of my favorite taste-testers (who happens to be a big fan of Olive Garden’s Pasta e fagioli).  I’ll let her report back.

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Italian Bean Soup with Mini-Meatballs {Pasta e fagioli inspired}

I'm delivering Italian Bean Soup with Mini-Meatballs, inspired by Pasta e fagioli AND delicious Italian Meatballs.

Course Main Course

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the meatballs…

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tablespoons milk or cream
• 1 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 handful fresh parsley finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

For the soup…

• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 carrots chopped
• 2 celery ribs chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 30-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup Marinara or tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 15-ounce cans white beans such as Cannellini or Great Northern, drained and rinsed.
• 1/2 pound Ditalini dried pasta or other small pasta

To serve…

• freshly grated parmesan cheese
• fresh parsley
• drizzle olive oil

Instructions

For the meatballs…

• Line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl combine all meatball ingredients, except meat. Add meat and gently mix until just combined. Form into small (3/4-inch diameter) meatballs, arrange on baking sheet. Should make 60 – 70 meatballs. Bake for 10 minutes and reserve. Meatballs will complete their cooking in the soup.

For the soup…

• Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Drain and reserve.
• In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in onion, carrots and celery; sauté until tender about 10 minutes. Add in garlic and seasoning and cook an additional minute.
• Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Add in drained beans and return to a simmer. Gently add meatballs to soup pot and simmer for 10 minutes.

To serve…

• Add a generous scoop of warm pasta to individual bowls, then cover with hot soup. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese, fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil

The post Italian Bean Soup with Mini-Meatballs {Pasta e fagioli inspired} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

This Warm 7-Layer Salad is addicting and gorgeous.  There’s so much going on here.  Layers and layers of going on.  Every bite is unique and delicious.  All credit to Rachel Ray for this fabulous recipe.  I must admit I was a bit skeptical the first time we made it, but once we took the first bite we were all in.  That may have something to do with the wonderful bacon flavor infused throughout the layers.

Let’s build this salad.  Shall we?!  Which by the way I did in 37 minutes from start to finish, including taking pictures of each layer.  You can do it in 30.  To begin, cook 6 slices of bacon until crispy.  Remove to drain on paper towels.  Pour off bacon drippings into a heat proof bowl and reserve.  While the bacon is cooking, prep your next ingredients.

Layer #1 ~ Green Beans

Into the same skillet that the bacon was cooked in, add about a 1/2 cup of water and the green beans and simmer over medium heat until the water has evaporated and the green beans are crisp tender.  Season with salt and pepper and add those to the bottom of your oven proof bowl.  I used my trifle dish to show off these gorgeous layers.

Layer #2 ~ Summer Squash

Remember the reserved bacon drippings? Add 1 1/2 tsp. of drippings into the same skillet with your diced summer squash.  Cook for 4-5 minutes until beginning to lightly brown.  Season with salt & pepper and add the squash on top of the green bean layer.

Layer #3 ~ Cherry Tomatoes

Add 1 1/2 tsp. of reserved bacon drippings to skillet.  Add cherry tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes until warm.  Season with salt & pepper and add on top of squash layer.

Layer #4 ~ White Beans

That’s right, add 1 1/2 tsp. of bacon drippings to the skillet, then add the drained and rinsed white beans.  Saute for a couple minutes until heated through then add on top of the tomato layer.  This is the point in the original recipe where I veered off course.  The recipe instructs you to now place the dish in the oven for 10 minutes to heat the veggies.  I was fighting the light needed for good pictures.  The way I saw it, my veggies all went in hot, so I skipped this step.  Warm is key though, so if your layers have cooled off I recommend warming them in the oven.

Layer #5 ~ Romaine Lettuce

Layer chopped romaine lettuce on top of the warm veggies.

Layer #6 ~ Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Shredded cheddar cheese is the next layer and goes right on top of the lettuce.

Layer #7 ~ Greek Yogurt

You can see from the picture that I got ahead of myself and started adding the bacon before taking a picture of the Greek yogurt layer.  Which illustrates my confusion as to why this wonderful salad is called 7-Layer Salad.  The Greek yogurt is essential and becomes the dressing for this salad.  Trust me, you will not need any other dressing.  The yogurt mixes with the juices of the warm veggies and is fabulous.

Layer #8 ~ Crispy Bacon

The last step to complete this salad is to sprinkle on the crumbled crispy bacon.  It’s how we started this dish and it is the icing on the cake that finishes it!!  Here at Lemony Thyme we’ll call this the Warm 8-Layer Salad, giving full credit and praises to Rachel Ray for creating the recipe.

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Warm 7-Layer Salad {or is it 8-Layers}

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Rachel Ray

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon
• 8 ounces green beans cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 2 medium yellow squash diced
• 20 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 14- ounce can white beans rinsed & drained
• 1 heart romaine lettuce chopped
• 4 ounces sharp yellow cheddar cheese shredded
• 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain; pour the bacon drippings into a small, heatproof bowl. While the bacon is cooking, prepare other ingredients.
• Add the green beans and 1/2 cup water to the skillet and simmer over medium-high heat until the water evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to an ovenproof glass bowl (Layer #1).
• In the skillet, heat 1-1/2 tsp. of the bacon drippings. Add the squash and cook over medium-high heat until light brown; season with salt and pepper. Spoon the squash over the green beans (Layer #2).
• Add 1 1/2 tsp. more of the bacon drippings and the tomatoes to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes; spoon over the squash (Layer #3).
• Add another 1-1/2 tsp. of the bacon drippings and the white beans to the skillet and heat through; season with pepper and spoon over the tomato layer (Layer #4). Bake the vegetables until warmed through, 10 minutes.
• Top the baked vegetable bowl with layers of the lettuce (Layer #5) and cheddar cheese (Layer #6). Top with the yogurt (Layer #7), then crumble the bacon and sprinkle on top (Layer #8).

The post Warm 7-Layer Salad {or is it 8-Layers} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Provençal Chicken is a wonderful weeknight meal.  It’s light and full of flavor.  Did I mention all you do is add the ingredients into your slow cooker, set it on low and go out the door and start your day.  When you and your family arrive home 8 hours later….well let’s just say you’ll move up a notch on your way to rock star status.

Provençal Chicken is meant to be a rustic dish.  We used boneless skinless chicken breasts but you could use bone-in chicken, just be sure to remove the skin if you’re going to use our slow cooker method.  Having said that, if you prefer you can prepare this dish in a Dutch oven.  Brown off your chicken pieces before adding the other ingredients then slow braise until the chicken is super tender.

I love the comfort that comes from the slow cooked chicken, tomatoes and beans.  But the Kalamata olives, lemon zest and fresh basil are what make this dish extra special. All of these are added according to taste, as is salt & pepper.  I purposely make this dish without adding salt.  Any time I’m using canned tomatoes or beans, even if they’re ‘No Salt Added’ I like to wait to salt.  Just me.

This dish is great for our family who is making some healthy living choices and is also a nice option for my friends facing similar challenges (Gluten Free in particular).  I see Provençal Chicken making a regular appearance in our kitchen and will look forward to it.

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Provençal Chicken {Slow Cooker Version}

Cook Time 8 hours hours

Total Time 8 hours hours

Servings 4

Calories 290kcal

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 5 oz. each
• 1 medium onion cut into small wedges
• 2 Tbl. fresh basil chopped (or 2 tsp. dried)
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/3 cup dry white wine optional
• 2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes (no salt added)
• 1 15.5 ounce can white bean, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup Kalamata Olives or to taste
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbl. fresh basil minced

Instructions

• Put chicken breasts and next six ingredients (through white beans) into slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours.
• Before serving add Kalamata olives or serve on the side. Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of lemon zest and minced basil. A side of crusty bread goes nicely too.

Notes

Per serving (1 chicken breast + 1/4 tomato/bean sauce) = 6 WW Pts+

The post Provençal Chicken {Slow Cooker Version} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.