Endurance Fuel: White Bean & Veggie Soup

Endurance Fuel: White Bean & Veggie Soup
“So, like, what do you eat?” This might be my least favorite question and it seems to perpetually follow my introduction as a registered dietitian. I could present a 45-slide powerpoint bestowing my greatest wisdom of the latest nutrition research and the curious minds will still want to know what, specifically, is on my dinner table. I can’t blame anyone, we, as humans, love to imitate. The trouble with this inquiry relates to the fact that I am routine averse and frankly don’t have a “typical” day of eating. Part two of this struggle is that I probably don’t eat how one would expect I do. Truth be told, I eat dessert every day, sometimes after every meal. I quite literally have dreams about different cake combinations I want to create. And, this is where I lose people. But, there is a common theme to my diet that I’ve adopted from Mark Bittman since he put it so poetically and accurately: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” In the same way that it is not at all unusual for me to wake up with the sun on a Saturday morning and start mixing up a three-layer cake, I also squeal at the beautiful farmer’s market broccoli and mumble odes of admiration as I bite into a grape with the perfect pop. This soup is “typical” for me in the context that it is mostly made of plants, simple ingredients, and assembled with little effort. I aim to create food that fuels me, but I look forward to eating. This meal is one of my favorites as it effortlessly fits into both categories.

White Bean and Veggie Soup

Yield: 8 bowls Ingredients
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 2 celery sticks, chopped
  • Sea salt
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup bulgur
  • 2 cans (30 oz) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, with liquid
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 4 oz arugula, chopped
  • 4 oz spinach, chopped
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large soup pot, add olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt. Cook until onions are translucent.
  2. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for about 30 seconds. Add bulgar, beans, tomatoes, parsley, broth, and water.
  3. Bring the mix to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking the mix on a low simmer for 25 minutes.
  4. Add chopped greens and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Remove pot from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition information (per 1 serving)
  • 158 calories
  • 26 g carbs
  • 3 g fat
  • 10 g protein
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