The weather may be cold and gray, but Martina McBride's White Bean and Baby Greens Stew recipe will give you the perfect excuse to spend some precious time in the kitchen.

When the country singer cooks it, her lucky husband John partakes in taste-testing — one of the many things he should thank her for.

"He was 29 when I met him and we called him the food virgin," McBride tells Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest on Live With Kelly and Ryan. "He had never had ice tea, he had never had a tomato, he had never had broccoli ... there were just all of these foods he never had."

McBride recently released a new cookbook Martina’s Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life and talked on the show about why she loves to share her delicacy discoveries with her fans.

"I always feel like when I find a great song, I want to share it with everybody," says McBride, who also is the host of Martina's Table on Food Network. "(It's the) same thing when I find a great recipe."

So, want to give it a try? McBride swears the recipe — found on the Live with Kelly & Ryan website — is quick and easy, despite all of the ingredients.

Quick and Easy White Bean and Baby Greens Stew Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (14.5-ounce) can petite-diced or crushed tomatoes, undrained
3 ½ cups chicken broth
2 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, drained and rinsed
1 ½ pound piece baked ham (½ - ¾ inch thick), cut into ½ inch cubes
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 (5-ounce) bag baby greens of your choice (baby spinach, baby arugula, baby kale), chopped
12 (¾–inch thick) slices baguette, toasted

Directions:

Cook the garlic in the olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium-high, stirring about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes (with juice). Stir in the broth, beans, ham, and pepper…bring to a boil. (*If you’re a vegetarian, just omit the ham and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.)

Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in the greens and cook just until wilted. Top each serving with 2 toasted baguette slices.

Martina's One of Country's 30 Most Powerful Women Ever:

More From K96 FM