Instructions: ) The night before: Rinse beans. Soak beans in 4-5 cups water in a covered pot.

Combine undrained tomatoes, beef broth, squash, sausage, onion, wine (or water), garlic and herbs in the crockery container; cover and chill overnight. ) In the morning: Place spinach in a bowl, covered, and let thaw in the refrigerator. Drain beans and rinse thoroughly. Sort and discard debris. Add beans to tomato mixture. Cook the beans, covered, on high-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or low-heat setting for 11 to 12 hours, or till beans are tender. ) To serve, squeeze excess liquid from spinach. Stir spinach into soup. Heat while making boboli. Ladle soup into bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

ITALIAN BREAD ON THE SIDE - 400F / 200C (Generously) brush the top of a large Boboli with a mixture of olive oil, garlic power and dried rosemary and/or basil. Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

PATS note: Make conventional way (without slow cooker) on weekend. Double recipe. Slice the sausage as thinly as possible and brown in a little olive oil from sprayer. Add extra fennel seed and pinch of sage when using Turkey sausage. Add 1/4 cup orzo (ooptional). The soup takes about 3-1/3 hours.

Use Pillsbury bread-sticks when Boboli unavailable.

NOTES : Clear broth with tomato, beans and yellow summer squash. BGH omits potato. Baked Boboli and a Caesar salad complete the menu. One cup of soup and one wedge of bread: 430 cal (25%)

Cook it in a crock pot for 6 to 8 hours and this chunky soup is ready when you get home for dinner. Or make same day in under 4 hours.

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