Taste of Tuesday

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite - and easiest - recipes.  It's a soup recipe that I got from Valerie Bertinelli's many appearances in the media.  In addition to being quick and easy, it's delicious, nutritious, and low in calories.  You can play around with it if you don't have the exact ingredients (i.e., substitute zucchini for yellow squash or Parmesan for the Romano).  And of course, I use vegetable broth rather than chicken.  I borrowed the following version of this recipe from here.

Tuscan Soup

1 1/4 cup eggplant, peeled and cubed

1 cup water

1 can whole tomatoes, no salt added, undrained and chopped (14 1/2-ounce)

1 can sliced mushrooms, drained (OR 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small summer (yellow) squash, coarsely chopped

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, dried

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

12 oz can chicken broth, reduced sodium

8 tbsp Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated

Combine the first 10 ingredients in a large saucepan, stirring well.

Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls; sprinkle 2 tbsp of Pecorino Romano cheese.

Bon appetit!