Notes:

• Makes 10-12 2-cup servings.
• Freezes well.
• Recipe adapted from Dr. John McDougall.
• Use a 1-cup measuring cup and a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon to do all of your measuring.  No need to dirty up a lot of dishes… just estimate.  And speaking of estimating – don’t worry too much about the amount of the celery and carrots – cut them up and place them in the pot.  If it looks like too little, add more.
• Note:  canned green beans or canned corn can be substituted for the frozen green beans or frozen corn.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped coarse.  Tutorial here.
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 1 15-ounce can fire-roasted chopped tomatoes
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 14 - 20 ounces potatoes, peeled and cubed in bite-sized pieces
• 1 16-ounce can fat free refried beans
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons parsley flakes
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper (one-third of a tablespoon)
• 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
• 3/4 cup frozen whole green beans, broken (or cut) into bite sized pieces
• 1 handful of uncooked, whole wheat pasta (penne, bowtie, elbows) Note:  pasta expands when cooked
• 1-2 cups chopped kale.  Tutorial here.
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation

1. Place the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots in a large pot with 1 cup of broth.
2. Cook on medium-high (#7 on electric stovetop) stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, until onions are softened.
3. Add the remaining broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, potatoes, refried beans (don’t worry about trying to get the beans to break down, cut it into chunks with your spatula and by the time it’s cooked for the first 25 minutes, you’ll be able to just stir it to combine), bay leaf, parsley, basil, oregano, and black pepper.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low (#3), cover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the kidney beans, corn, green beans, and whole wheat pasta.
6. Reduce heat a little more (#2) and continue to cook for 20 minutes.
7. Stir in the kale and balsamic vinegar and continue to cook (#2) an additional 10 minutes until kale is softened.
8. Remove bay leaf before serving.