June 13, 2017

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

Like the rest of the world, I just don’t have time to cook every day. But I HATE grabbing shitty meals on the go or eating pre-packaged, processed food. What works best for me is to food prep and portion out easy things to make quick meals. On the evenings when I actually get to cook dinner and sit down with the fam, I make basically an abundance of food so we have meals ready all week.

hearty chicken noodle soup 2

I started making this soup (it’s really more like a stew) when Lily was a few months into eating solids. It takes just one pot, only a few steps, and I could portion out a couple weeks of meals to freeze. And what kid doesn’t love noodles?

WHO doesn’t love noodles?

I really wish I could be the girl who sits down for lunch with her friends, says “I’m STARVING! I haven’t eaten all day” …. and then orders soup.

But I’m not.

I’m the girl who sits down and eats the whole breadbasket.

hearty chicken noodle soup with carrots and celery

A bowl of this soup is actually filling and you won’t be looking for an extra piece of bread.

It’s like having a pasta without all the heaviness and sauces.

And just to say again…. it’s super easy to make.

hearty chicken noodle soup

I’m really not one for measuring things out, but this is basically what you’ll need…

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 chicken breasts, cut in chunks

5 carrots

5 stalks celery

small handful of fresh basil, finely chopped OR a generous amount of dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

2 cartons low sodium chicken broth

1 bag egg noodles

Here’s how you do:

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot (is that what it’s called?) and add onion and minced garlic. Heat for a few minutes and add chicken. Once chicken is cooked through, add the basil, chopped carrots (I like them in big chunks) and celery. Stir and and add salt (I just do a sprinkle) and pepper (I load it with pepper!) and chicken broth. Simmer for approx. 45 mins. It will be ready when the carrots are at your desired texture. Then add the egg noodles, stir and simmer until they’ve softened.

You may have to stir a few times to really get the noodles through.

This is definitely NOT a broth-y soup. More like an egg noodle pasta bowl. hearty chicken noodle soup with bread