Tortellini Stew w/Spinach and Zucchini

Ingredients:
1 can (14 oz size) reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 package (9 oz size) refrigerated cheese or mushroom tortellini
1 can (14.5 oz size) diced tomatoes
3 cups packed baby spinach
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons freshly shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 small zucchini, diced large, sauteed lightly

Directions:
Bring broth to a boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Add tortellini. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer gently 5 minutes.

Gently stir in tomatoes; simmer 4 minutes or until tortellini is tender. Stir in spinach 1 cup at a time just until wilted. Add zucchini. Stir in basil.

Ladle into shallow bowls; sprinkle with cheese and pepper.

As an added delicious touch, once you've turned off the heat, stir in three triangles of Laughing Cow cheese. It adds a lovely richness to the broth, and it also thickens it all up, just a smidge. So good.

Sausage and Vegetable Stew

* 6 Italian-style sausages
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
* 1 medium sweet onion, chopped into 1-inch dice
* 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped into 1-inch dice
* 1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped into 1-inch dice
* 2 medium zucchini, chopped into 1-inch dice
*1 small eggplant, chopped into 1-inch dice
* 2 cups mushrooms, quartered
* 1 28 oz can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
* 1 5.5 oz can tomato paste with Italian herbs
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* Parmesan cheese, optional


Cut the sausages into 1-inch pieces. In a medium soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and cook the sausage pieces, stirring occasionally, until well-browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, onion, and vegetables, stirring well to mix. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables are almost softened.
Add the stewed tomatoes, stirring well to mix, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the tomato paste, and vinegar stirring well to mix.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Cannellini Bean and Shrimp Stew

Cannellini beans are white kidney beans; substitute Great Northern beans, if you prefer.

Ingredients

1 pound unpeeled large shrimp
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups water
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
1 bay leaf
3 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon tomato paste
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
4 cups cooked cannellini beans
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

Peel and devein shrimp, reserving shells. Cover and chill shrimp.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add reserved shrimp shells to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until shells turn pink. Stir in wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in 2 cups water, clam juice, and bay leaf; simmer 12 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Set shrimp stock aside.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 8 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in thyme, salt, pepper, and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Strain shrimp stock through a colander over Dutch oven; discard solids. Add beans to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in shrimp; cover and let stand 5 minutes or until shrimp are done. Stir in parsley.

Yield

6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 318(15% from fat); FAT 5.3g (sat 0.7g,mono 2.4g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 24.9g; CHOLESTEROL 116mg; CALCIUM 340mg; SODIUM 486mg; FIBER 2.6g; IRON 5.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.7g