Hearty chorizo soup

This hearty soup from Ross Dobson's "Wholesome Kitchen" is easily made vegetarian. Dobson suggests simply replacing the chorizo with 2 cups of sliced mushrooms and cooking as directed. You also can stir in some baby spinach at the end.

Smoky Chorizo and Navy Bean Soup

Start to finish: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 ounces chorizo sausage, casing removed, crumbled

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked sweet paprika

14-ounce can chopped tomatoes

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

14-ounce can navy beans, drained and well rinsed

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Toasted baguette slices, rubbed with garlic, to serve

In a large saucepan over high, heat the oil. Add the chorizo, onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, or until the chorizo has browned and the onion has softened.

Stir in the paprika for 1 minute, or until aromatic.

Add the tomatoes, stock and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and cilantro, then serve with the garlic toasts.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 638 calories; 238 calories from fat (37 percent of total calories); 26 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 41 mg cholesterol; 71 g carbohydrate; 30 g protein; 9 g fiber; 1,423 mg sodium.

(Recipe from Ross Dobson's "Wholesome Kitchen," Ryland, Petters and Small, 2010)