With the cold weather upon us nothing warms me up better than a bowl of steamy hot soup. A huge pot of soup simmering on the stove to me, is the perfect comfort food! Not only is it economical to make, but when you throw in some dark leafy greens such as swiss chard, you up the nutritional and health benefits too. So it’s not only something that taste’s good, it’s good for you, I call that a win win situation!

Swiss chard is packed with nutrients, one of them being vitamin C. Lab studies suggest that regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin C help maintain normal connective tissue, prevent iron deficiency, and helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents by boosting immunity, and with the H1N1 virus lurking all around us, I would say immunity boosting foods are a good thing!

Here’s the Ingredients:

2 cans of rinsed and drained cannellini beans or you could use dried.

2 onions chopped

2 carrots diced

1 large bunch of swiss chard, stems removed and leaves chopped.

6-8 cups of homemade stock or a good store bought brand.

Precooked broken spaghetti

Olive oil, fresh finely minced basil, 1-2 crushed garlic cloves, grated parmesan, salt and pepper.

In a heavy soup pot, saute onion, carrot, garlic and chard, then add everything else and simmer for about an hour. If your like me and you save your cheese rinds in the freezer, please add one to your soup, it makes a world of difference to the flavor of your broth, otherwise just add your grated parmesan to your individual bowls.

In a bowl add the cooked spaghetti, and then ladle your soup over the top along with plenty of grated cheese, and if you want, a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Grab a spoon and go curl up on a couch with a good book, or in my case any foodie magazine will do. Enjoy!!

Buon Appetito!