Ravioli & Vegetable Soup

My diet has been extremely lacking in the area of fresh food (mainly fruits & veggies) for the last few weeks. This week, I recommitted to eating more vegetables and decided that this soup would be a good start.

My notes:

• I used fresh bell pepper, left out the onion, and used cheese tortellini.
  
• It was a bit spicier than I thought it would be, but I still liked it. If you're planning to serve it to kids, I'd probably omit the crushed red pepper flake.
  
• Next time I might opt to just use regular canned diced tomatoes, not fire roasted.
  
• Other than that, it was a nice hearty soup that was delicious with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top and a nice piece of crusty bread for dipping.

Ravioli & Vegetable Soup

From EatingWell.com

Fresh or frozen ravioli cook in minutes and turn this light vegetable soup into a main course. Look for whole-wheat or whole-grain ravioli in the refrigerated or frozen section of the supermarket. Tortellini can be used instead of ravioli as well.

4 servings, about 2 cups each | Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups frozen bell pepper and onion mix, thawed and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed crushed red pepper, or to taste (optional)
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
• 1 15-ounce can vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1 teaspoon dried basil or marjoram
• 1 6- to 9-ounce package fresh or frozen cheese (or meat) ravioli, preferably whole-wheat
• 2 cups diced zucchini, (about 2 medium)
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pepper-onion mix, garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, broth, water and basil (or marjoram); bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add ravioli and cook for 3 minutes less than the package directions. Add zucchini; return to a boil. Cook until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Season with pepper.

Nutrition

Per serving : 264 Calories; 9 g Fat; 3 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 28 mg Cholesterol; 38 g Carbohydrates; 11 g Protein; 8 g Fiber; 763 mg Sodium; 762 mg Potassium

2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 starch, 2 vegetable, 1 fat

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Thin with broth before reheating, if desired.