Slow Cooker Northern Bean and Spinach Soup - 3.2g Carbs, 16.2g Fiber, 4.2g Sugar
From: SparkPeople User CHEF_MEG
This hearty soup is perfect for when there is a chill in the air, and
you want dinner waiting for you as you walk in the door.
NOTE: You must soak the beans overnight.
Prepare: 15 min
Cook: 480 min
Servings: 4
1 cup dried Northern beans, rinsed and picked over
2 carrots, peeled and chopped, (about 1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped, (about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 tsp black pepper
Pinch tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
4 cups homemade or low sodium chicken stock
1 cup diced tomatoes, no salt added
6 oz fresh spinach (about 2 cups packed)
6 oz light kielbasa or smoked sausage, diced
Place the dried beans in the slow cooker and add 1 quart water. Cover
and let soak overnight. (Do not turn on the slow cooker.)
In the morning, drain and rinse the beans.
Return the beans to the slow cooker, along with the carrots, onion,
garlic, spices, and stock, and cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the
beans are tender.
About 20 minutes before dinnertime, use an immersion blender to puree
half the soup. (Or transfer to a blender, and leave the cap off the
top but cover with a dishtowel to avoid splatters. This will allow
steam to escape as you puree the soup. Return the pureed soup to the
slow cooker.)
Add the tomatoes, spinach, and sausage to the slow cooker. Replace
lid and cook on high for 20 minutes.
Ladle two cups into each bowl. Serve with crusty whole-wheat bread
or place a scoop of mashed potatoes in the bottom of each bowl.
Tips:
Soaking the beans overnight will ensure your beans are cooked and tender.
Some chefs add baking soda to the soaking water to tenderize the beans,
but I omitted it to save on sodium. Soaking and adding the tomatoes toward
the end of the cooking time will ensure tender beans. We used dried beans
because they have almost no sodium, to offset the higher sodium levels in
the meat.
We just heard that smoked sausage with 1/3 less sodium will soon be on the
market. Keep an eye out for that.
Be sure to read labels: Many of the lower-fat varieties, including turkey
smoke sausage, were higher in sodium! You can reduce the amount of sausage
if you're really keeping an eye on your sodium intake.
Servings: 8
Serving Size: 2 cups
Nutrition per Serving:
216.5 Calories, 7.4g Total Fat, 2.5g Saturated Fat, 0.1g Polyunsaturated Fat,
0g Monounsaturated Fat, 26.2mg Cholesterol, 590.5mg Sodium, 410.4mg Potassium,
33.2g Total Carbs, 16.2g Dietary Fiber, 4.2g Sugars, 18.4g Protein
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