Vegetarian Tuscan Stew

     As soon as the temperature changed, my desire to cook something also came back. Last weekend I decided to try to combine some fall flavors and make a meatless meal. We aren't vegetarians, but I think I could be if I could just hang on to bacon! We do tend to have a few meatless meals every week and I will make this again. I will warn you, it isn't a pretty soup as you will see from the final picture. This is a recipe you could easily change based on what you have in your pantry.

Ingredients:

1 bag dried pinto beans (rinse and soak in water for at least 2 hours)

1 large potato

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

onion chopped (optional)

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 bag baby spinach, rinsed

1 tsp. (or more to taste) Italian Seasoning

salt

pepper

olive oil

     Drain soaked beans and place in large pan. Add chopped potato, carrot, celery and onion (optional). Drizzle with olive oil, add salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add water to cover the beans and simmer until beans and veggies are tender. You may need to add more water as the beans swell.

     While the beans are cooking, peel and cube butternut squash. I puncture mine with a knife and put it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes to make it softer and easier to peel.

     When the beans and veggies are tender, remove about half of the mixture and blend in food processor or blender until smooth. Add back to pot. Add the squash and spinach and continue to simmer until spinach has wilted and squash has almost melted into the soup. Add water as needed, this soup really thickens quickly.

     I made a loaf of no-knead crusty bread (recipe here), sliced it and drizzled it with olive oil. Bake the slices until brown at 350 degrees and serve with the stew.

I am joining Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday

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