Thick, hearty soup in half-hour

Imagine a soup that provides a whole meal in one bowl and takes only 30 minutes to make. That’s the beauty of this winter casserole soup, a thick and hearty concoction made with vegetables, pasta and red kidney beans.

My family loves a bowl of soup, no matter what the weather. You can make this a vegetarian meal by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

This soup tastes great the second day. You can make double the recipe and have another quick meal waiting for you.

If you make it in advance or are rewarming on the second night, it may become thick. Just add more broth while rewarming.

Winter Casserole Soup

2 cups fat-free, low-salt chicken broth

1 cup water

2 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes (including juice)

1 cup sliced yellow onion

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1 cup sliced celery stalks

1 cup sliced white cabbage

2 ounces uncooked fusilli pasta (1 cup)

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (or a few drops hot pepper sauce)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 cups fresh washed, ready-to-eat spinach

1 1/2 cups rinsed and drained canned red kidney beans

2 ounces shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese ( 1/2 cup)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sourdough or whole-grain bread

Preheat oven to warm bread. Bring chicken broth, water and tomatoes to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cover, lower heat to medium-high, and cook 5 minutes. Add cabbage and fusilli and boil, uncovered, 10 minutes. Mix horseradish and vinegar together. Add to soup with spinach and beans. Boil 1 minute. Pasta will be cooked. Spinach will just be wilted. Add cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Place bread in oven to warm.

Yield: 2 servings

Nutrition per serving: 535 calories (12 percent from fat), 7 grams fat (3.1 grams saturated, 1.9 grams monounsaturated), 15 milligrams cholesterol, 30.4 grams protein, 92.6 grams carbohydrates, 20.8 grams fiber, 1,585 milligrams sodium.