Sick day soup

Sadie and I are taking a sick day today. We were supposed to be heading east to meet my adorable new niece but instead, we are both stuck up in bed with a bad case of the sniffles and some seriously watery eyes. Sadie slept until eight which is unheard of and allowed mommy to have some extra (much needed) rest. As a bonus, she decided she wanted to crawl into my bed upon waking and watch some Curious George.

In this house, colds mean there will be soup. I have been making this soup for about six years and it is one of my favorite things to make on snowy afternoons in the Winter, rainy days in the Spring, or whenever anybody in this house isn't feeling well. This recipe was inspired by a spicy tomato soup I saw Giada make on the Food Network.


Grocery List...
3-4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
3-4 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon of parsley, chopped
26 ounces of marinara sauce (I usually make a big batch and keep in freezer)
32-48 ounces of chicken broth (can use vegetable broth if you prefer)
1 15 ounce can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (sometimes I put 2 cans in)
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Directions...
Heat up the olive oil in a large soup pot (I love to use my Le Creuset Cast-Iron 5-Quart Oval French Oven... it just tastes better coming out of there!). Add the chopped up carrots, onion, garlic, and parsley and sauté for about 3-4 minutes. Add the rinsed beans and give it a stir. Add the salt and pepper and stir. Add the marinara sauce, stir again, and let cook together for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken (or vegetable) broth and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Sometimes I add some whole grain pasta (usually elbows or small shells) but since I gave up pasta for Lent, we will just double up on the beans to give it some more substance today.