Hearty Minestrone with Barley, Sage, and Beans

Chill the bacon to make it easier to chop finely. For a special treat, top each serving with one tablespoon grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups)

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon  olive oil
• 2  cups  finely chopped onion (about 1 medium)
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped celery (about 1 stalk)
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped carrot (about 1 medium)
• 1/4  cup  thinly sliced green onions (about 4)
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped applewood-smoked bacon (about 1 ounce)
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh sage
• 1/2  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/4  cups  finely chopped Savoy cabbage
• 2  cups  water
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 3  (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  (16-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2  cups  peeled Yukon gold potato (about 1 medium), cut into (1/2-inch) cubes
• 1/2  cup  uncooked pearl barley
• 2  cups  green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 8 ingredients (through garlic); sauté 5 minutes. Add cabbage and next 5 ingredients (through cannellini beans); bring to a boil. Stir in potato and barley. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in green beans; cook 5 minutes.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

140 (16% from fat)

Fat:

2.5g (sat 0.7g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:

6.2g

Carbohydrate:

23.3g

Fiber:

5.3g

Cholesterol:

2mg

Iron:

1.2mg

Sodium:

473mg

Calcium:

51mg