Use It Before You Lose It

Does your refrigerator crisper drawer overflow w/ veggies and fruits on a regular basis? Our does! And I'm so proud of that fact. Have you ever opened someone else's to the sounds of crickets chirping b/c it's been so long since it's last use? Isn't that sad? I can't imagine our fridge w/o all of the freshness produce brings to it. And sometimes ours gets so full that it becomes necessary to "purge" to make room for new things. I grocery shop each week, and only have so much room, so this sometimes happens before I have the change to use everything and I refuse to throw out perfectly good food! This exact scenario is how this recipe came to pass. It's been years ago. I think even before Alex was born! I had some veggies in the drawer I needed to use, was hungry for soup and happened to have a couple cans of butter beans in the pantry too. So, a little of this, some of that, chop, chop and this soup was born. Since then it's become one of our favorites and one of the few I still cook stove top. (Most soups I make are Crock-Pot bound!) I love it not just because it's packed full of veggies, therefor nutrients, but also b/c I usually have everything on hand to make it. Okay, so I might have to grab a zucchini at the store, but the rest of it I can normally shop for right in our cupboards. If you love butter beans like we do, but have never tried them in soup, you really should! So, if you have a ton of veggies left in your fridge, before you throw them out, how about a piping hot bowl of soup?

Butter Bean Soup
1 1/2 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped carrots
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 small zucchini, chopped
3 TBS vegetable oil
3 TBS flour
1 (32oz) box chicken broth/stock
1 1/2 c. water
2 (16oz) cans baby butter beans, drained
1 tsp dried basil
Salt/Pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, celery, carrot and zucchini. Season w/ salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Add flour, cook and stir for 1 minute. Gradually add broth and water stirring until smooth. Add butter beans and basil. Adjust seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes or until slightly thick.

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Soup at Very Good Recipes
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