Best soup for whatever ails you!  Light, digestible, soothing mix of young summer veggies, a variety of greens, potatoes & white beans.  
 
Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathys Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
 
A Tuscan Minestrone                                  Prep time: 1/2 hour Cooking time:1 hour Makes 7 quarts
 
Ingredients
3 cans white beans, rinsed well OR 1lb dried white beans (cannellini, great northern) Large sprig of fresh sage leaves +3 cloves garlic for cooking dried beans
1 medium-large onion, large dice
2 stalks celery, large dice
1 large carrot, large dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb green beans, cut in 1" pieces
1 lb mixed green and yellow squash, sliced lengthwise, halved, sliced
2 medium Russet potatoes or 1 lb new white potatoes, large dice
2-3 quarts no-sodium veggie broth or water
6-8 tbs good quality tomato paste & 2 medium tomatoes, large dice OR 1/2 28-oz can    
 good quality whole tomatoes
1/4 small Savoy or green cabbage, cut in 1/4" ribbons (chiffonade)
1 bunch lacinato (dinosaur) kale, rolled up & cut chiffonade
1 bunch Swiss chard, rolled up & cut chiffonade
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Nutritional yeast
 
Directions
To reconstitute dried beans: Rinse beans & soak overnight. Discard water. In a pot cover beans 1-2" with fresh water, toss in sage leaves and garlic cloves. Bring to boil, lower to just BELOW simmering. Gently steep for 1/2 hour or so or until soft and tender but not disintegrating.
 
This is a rustic soup so there's no need to be fussy with knife cuts. Greens are sliced into ribbons & the rest are roughly diced bite-sized.
 
In a large stainless soup pot sweat the onion with a pinch of salt over a medium-low flame, stirring occasionally. Don't add any liquid. Onions will begin to soften, carmelize & become translucent in a few minutes. If they adhere to the pan, lower flame & add 1-2 tbs of broth to deglaze pan.
Add carrots, celery & continue to sweat the veggies for 3-4 minutes.
Add garlic, stir, cook for another minute.
Add squashes, green beans & potatoes & cook for 3 minutes, stir occasionally.
Add the white beans & their cooking water if using dried beans
Add veggie broth or water to desired consistency.
Bring to a boil; then lower to simmer.
Stir in sufficient tomato paste or whole canned tomatoes, to achieve a pale orange color. Tomato is just one flavor in the ensemble; don't go heavy on the tomato
Add the ribbons of cabbage and kale.
Allow to cook on low until veggies are softened but maintain their shapes c. 30 minutes
Add chard & fresh tomato, if using. Cook for final 10 minutes.
Salt & pepper to taste.
 
Serve in large heated bowls with a nice salad, crusty wholegrain sourdough bread or homemade breadsticks or crackers. In lieu of parmesan, for a nutty, cheesy finish, sprinkle on a little nutritional yeast.
 
Buon appetito!