Italian Vegetable-and-Pasta Stew

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups stew and 1 tablespoon cheese)

Ingredients

• 4  cups  water
• 2  cups  chopped onion
• 1 1/2  cups  quartered small red potatoes
• 1  cup  dried Great Northern or navy beans
• 1/2  cup  sliced carrot
• 1/2  cup  quartered mushrooms
• 1/2  cup  uncooked pearl barley
• 1/2  pound  lean, boneless round steak, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can pasta-style chunky tomatoes, undrained
• 1  (14 1/4-ounce) can fat-free beef broth
• 3  garlic cloves, chopped
• 1  cup  sliced zucchini
• 1  cup  torn spinach
• 1/2  cup  uncooked alphabet or other small pasta
• 1  tablespoon  dried rosemary, crushed
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1  teaspoon  rubbed sage
• 1/2  teaspoon  pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 1/2  cup  grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Combine first 11 ingredients in a large electric slow cooker. Cover with lid, and cook on high-heat setting for 6 hours. Add zucchini and next 7 ingredients (zucchini through nutmeg); cover and cook on high-heat setting an additional 30 minutes or until beans are tender. Ladle into individual soup bowls, and sprinkle with cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

287 (11% from fat)

Fat:

3.6g (sat 1.6g,mono 1g,poly 0.5g)

Protein:

18.7g

Carbohydrate:

45.6g

Fiber:

7.3g

Cholesterol:

20mg

Iron:

4.5mg

Sodium:

503mg

Calcium:

168mg