Broccoli Rabe and White Bean Soup

Here's a soup to warm you up in fall weather!

Cut the stems from 8 ounces of broccoli rabe, then coarsely chop the broccoli rabe; set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add 2 cups coarsely chopped onion and cook for 5 minutes.  Add 2 minced garlic cloves and 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper; cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the broccoli rabe and 1/4 tsp. salt; cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add 5 cups water; bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Note: I got a little impatient waiting for the soup to boil at medium-high, so confess to turning the heat briefly up a notch.  Also, the original recipe called to add a 3-inch piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano rind here; I omitted it, since I was unable to think of a substitute; however, there is vegan Parmesan sprinkled on top at the end, which I think lent enough Parmesan flavor to the overall effect.

But to get back to the recipe...rinse and drain a 15-ounce can of cannellini beans, then add to the soup and simmer a final 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast 5 (1-ounce) slices of whole wheat bread - I used the organic wheat from the Vermont Bread company.  Cut a garlic clove in half, and rub the cut sides of the garlic evenly over both sides of the toast.  Tear the toast into bite-sized pieces, then divide evenly among 4 bowls.

Ladle 1 and 1/2 cups soup into each bowl over the toast pieces.  Sprinkle each serving with 1 to 2 tablespoons grated vegan Parmesan topping (such as Galaxy Foods), according to taste.  Each serving is 270 calories.

Cost:
broccoli rabe $2.99
onion $1.53
canned cannellini beans $2.19
whole wheat bread $4.39