When the weather cools down and a sense of chilliness is in the air, nothing hits the spot quite like a bowl of hot soup. Yet, the prep work and wait time is a turnoff, especially on a busy weeknight or packed-with-plans weekend. This Quick Provencal Tomato Bean Soup is here to the rescue. A mass of pantry and freezer staples comes together in under thirty minutes, creating a soup loaded with complex flavors. 

What makes this soup super approachable is the use of pantry staples like canned beans, tomato purée, and stock. Simple fresh add-ins like onion and garlic are easy to procure from the store or things you might already have sitting on the counter. Once the onions are soft and translucent, go ahead and add the garlic and dried herbs, tossing until the garlic and spices are fragrant. 

Next, add in the tomato sauce or purée (whichever you have on hand) and chicken stock. If you want to make this a purely vegetarian dish, go ahead and use vegetable stock. If you only have a meat-based stock in hand, use that, the meaty flavors from the stock will add a lot of depth to the soup.

Bring the soup to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook it for ten minutes. This will take the potential tinny taste out of the canned tomato sauce and let the aromatic ingredients blend with the tomato sauce and the stock.

Once the soup has cooked, add in the beans, cook for five minutes, and then fold in the spinach, cooking until wilted. 

After adding salt and pepper to taste, this soup is ready to eat! The soup is herbaceous thanks to the dried basil and oregano, and a bit spicy with the addition of pepper flakes. 

Beans add a hearty but creamy texture to the soup while the spinach adds a filling robust addition to the soup.

This Quick Provencal Tomato Bean Soup can be played around with and more ingredients can be added if desired, but the classic base is filling and satisfying with each and every spoonful!