There’s something about eating chicken noodle soup that always makes me feel better. Warm and full of vegetables, if anyone has the sniffles in our family, this soup goes right on the weekly meal plan!
What I like about chicken noodle soup is that you can use leftover chicken – after you’ve oven roasted it yourself – and whatever vegetables are lurking in your refrigerator or freezer. While I’ve listed what can be added, toss in whatever you have on hand. There are no rules with soup!
Chicken Noodle Soup
If you want to make this a vegetarian soup (without chicken), it can easily be skipped. Just add more mushrooms or whatever vegetable you’d like and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dry
- 2 cups carrots, chopped
- 2 cups celery, chopped
- 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup cooked white beans ([url href=”https://gogingham.com/2013/07/how-to-cook-with-dried-beans/” target=”_blank” title=”How to Cook with Dried Beans”]follow these directions for cooking beans and freezing[/url])
- 6 cups homemade chicken broth/stock or water or vegetable stock ([url href=”https://gogingham.com/2013/04/how-to-make-chicken-broth/” target=”_blank” title=”How to Make Chicken Broth”]how to make chicken broth[/url])
- 2 cups whole wheat egg noodles
- 2 cups cooked chicken, cut into cubes (leftovers from oven roasted chicken)
- 3 cups fresh spinach (I like Earthbound Farm’s – it’s organic and pre-washed)
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce, low-sodium
- 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- In a large stock pot, heat olive oil and add onion and thyme.
- Sauté onion and thyme until glistening for about 5 minutes.
- Add carrots, celery, mushrooms and white beans and simmer with lid on until soft – about 10 minutes.
- Add broth or water and bring to a boil.
- Once broth is boiling, add 2 cups of whole wheat egg noodles and 2 cups of cooked chicken.
- Simmer on low with lid on until pasta is done, about 12-13 minutes.
- Once the pasta is done, toss in several handfuls of fresh spinach – about 3 cups. Stir and cook with lid off for a few minutes.
- Once spinach has wilted, add soy sauce and adjust salt and pepper and serve.
Mushrooms sliced or chopped small work in this recipe. Go with whatever you like!
Notes:
- Great northern white beans or other soft white bean will work. The beans will break down in the broth and thicken the soup. (Read about using white beans as a soup thickener.)
- Using leftover chicken from roasting a chicken the night before is ideal. 2 chicken breasts cooked and diced into small pieces is another option for this recipe.
- One large carrot is about 1 cup chopped.
- This recipe makes enough for our family of 4 to enjoy for dinner – and then the kids eat it for breakfast the next day. Dinner for breakfast? Yes indeed-y.
If we double this and eat it a second night, I add more spinach on the second night to freshen it up. There’s never enough spinach!
What’s your favorite soup to make when sniffles strike?
Go Gingham related links:
Pumpkin and squash soup – it’s easy and delicious!
Lentils and pork – lentils are similar to beans but there’s no soaking
After school snacks that involve beans – and no small packages
Why I cook with dried beans – complete with money saving chart!
Vegetarian chili made with dried beans – of course!
Go Gingham 
I’m trying to slow down with the soups–we have had a LOT of soup lately here in the Land Of Neverending Snow And Ice. Your version of chicken noodle looks yummy–I’ve never put beans in mine but might have to change that!
LikeLike
Kris, I can only imagine the weather where you live! But, even my gang gets tired of soup after a bit. Split pea soup is my favorite soup but it can get a few complaints around here. 🙂
LikeLike
I am a vegetarian, but i still love the chicken-y flavor of chicken soup. I found some bullion cubes called Not-Chick’n that are awesome. I also add about a tsp. of poultry seasoning to my broth. And if anyone has a cold I add a tbsp. of grated ginger. Recently I used (precooked)quinoa instead of noodles. It was a nice change. I’m going to try adding the beans to thicken it next time.
LikeLike
EFB,
Ginger for colds is very smart! We add that to tea here.
I like the idea of the quinoa for the noodles. I prefer quinoa to pasta but my family would revolt and say things like, “But, it’s not chicken noodle soup without the noodles!” 🙂
Good tips, Erin. Thanks!
LikeLike
I haven’t tried beans in my chicken soup before either – but I will now. Thanks for the idea!
LikeLike
Heidi,
You’ll love it! So creamy and full of fiber. No one will even notice.
Here’s how I cook/prepare and freeze the beans to get them ready for soup.
https://gogingham.com/2013/12/gluten-free-soup-thickener/
Happy New Year to you and your family! 🙂
LikeLike
What a warm bowl of soup!Just what the doc ordered! adding beans is a nice touch, though I am not sure how quinoa would be received in my house, lol! We use a lot of ginger, and I personally love the flavor of ginger in soups. Lovely recipe.
LikeLike
Hi Minnie,
Oh, I love ginger, too. That would be a nice addition to this soup as well.
Thanks for stopping by!!
LikeLike
That looks delicious! I don’t normally care for Chicken Noodle Soup, but the ingredients in this sound really yummy.
LikeLike
Hi Jen!
Thank you – you can really taste a difference in using the homemade ingredients in this soup – especially the broth.
It can also be served on a bed of spinach. That way it’s hot soup and the spinach helps cool it down – for little mouths and all.
Happy New Year!
LikeLike