My New Favorite Soup
I’ve found a new favorite summer soup!!
I’ve always loved chicken soup with vegetables but it often lacked a lot of flavor or made with the same vegetables every time. BORING. You know, the typical carrots, celery, potatoes, onions and peas.
Now don’t get me wrong.
I like these vegetables just fine.
But I like variety in my meals too.
On a recent trip to the local Farmer’s market, roadside stands and my own garden (as well as a few staples from the grocery), I came up with a variety of vegetables and herbs that make this soup delicious. And it’s HEALTHY too.
All fresh vegetables, low sodium chicken broth, precooked chicken breast and spices!
Nothing bad for you 😉 . The cheese I sliced up to serve with the soup ( I love cheese!) and fruits, corn and lettuce were used for other meals.
It doesn’t take long to make, either. It cooks in about 20 minutes. I made a big pot on Sunday. I stored it a container in the ‘fridge and have it for lunch throughout the week. Delish!!
Making the Soup
I began making it by cutting and chopping all my vegetables like a madwoman. No, really it didn’t take that long and doing it all before starting sped things up. The spinach I left whole. It cooks down quickly. The garlic I finely chopped or you could mince it it you want.
Of course I couldn’t cook if I didn’t have my trusty dogs at my feet. They make sure anything that gets dropped doesn’t go to waste!
I sauteed onions, garlic, carrots, spinach, squash, mushrooms, celery and any of the other vegetables that looked good in a little bit of olive oil. I didn’t add the tomatoes or any herbs yet. You could use cooking spray instead. I like the taste of vegetables sauteed in olive oil though. You’ll want to stir this occasionally so the garlic and onions don’t burn.
I let these cook until soft. I was tempted to eat the sauteed vegetables at this stage. It looks and smells good enough to eat as it is!
Note: Don’t judge me by my stained stove. It’s old and had lots of meals cooked on it.
Once the vegetables were soft, it was ready to turn into soup. I added two cans of low sodium, no fat chicken broth, a squeeze of lemon and some lemon zest, about 10 cherry tomatoes, fresh thyme, and fresh rosemary sprigs and a few turns from my McCormick garlic pepper grinder. I love these grinders! This one is low salt which is great since I have to watch my sodium intake.
I also added some leftover shredded chicken breasts I’d had earlier in the week.
The Gia Russa brand chicken broth is a new-to-me brand. I really like the flavor of it.
Then I just let it simmer for 20 minutes or so. It depends on how done you want your vegetables to get. I like my vegies a little crisper.
Eating the Soup
The smells coming from my kitchen were making my mouth water. I could hardly wait for the soup to finish cooking and then be cool enough to eat.
Finally it was ready.
I served up a big bowl, cut up a couple ounces of cheddar cheese and sat down to taste this new version of Chicken Vegetable soup.
Oh, it’s soooo gooood!!
Delicious!! This one goes into the favorites in my recipe box for sure!
Here’s the recipe link:
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6 people | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 20 minutes | 30 minutes |
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A delicious, healthy soup using the best of in season vegetables, chicken and herbs. Make it a full meal by serving a side of cheese or chunks of crusty bread.
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- small onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 1 large handful fresh spinach
- 1 / 2 cup mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 cup green beans chopped in large pieces
- 1 - 2 cups yellow squash or zucchini chopped
- 1 pound fresh tomatoes chopped
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- fresh herbs, rosemary and thyme
- garlic pepper seasoning
- 32 ounces chicken broth reduced sodium and fat
- 2-3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
- In a large pot, saute on medium heat the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, spinach, squash, green beans, and mushrooms in olive oil or pan sprayed with cooking spray until soft. Stir often to prevent burning.
- Add the chicken broth, shredded chicken, tomatoes, a few sprigs of herbs, and garlic pepper seasoning. bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer on medium low for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are done.
You have to try this recipe! I’d love to hear your opinions on it. Would you change anything? Add different vegetables or maybe some other type of lean protein? I’m thinking my next batch will have cabbage and lean beef, hmmm.
Hugs 🙂
Carol
P.S. I just discovered this great cookbook on Summer Soups.
It has great reviews and even though I’m not a vegetarian,
