Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I was on vacation for a week and while I had delicious food throughout our tour of the South, I was excited to try some new recipes after coming back from vacation. Unfortunately, I tried a few recipes that were underwhelming and not fit for posting to the blog! I will continue on my mission to find new and easy recipes for you all, but in the meantime I was inspired by the sudden change of weather (hello fall!) to post my chicken noodle soup recipe.

For years, I avoided making soup of any kind for fear that it would take hours of me standing over a hot stove. Well, I was wrong. One day I was in the mood for chicken noodle soup - preferably not a canned version full of sodium - and I stumbled across a ridiculously simple recipe online. I played with the proportions of broth vs. meat/veggies, and tested out different herbs and spices, and made a soup that I think puts Campbell's to shame!

Granted, I didn't make my own broth (which I'm sure would have made the process longer), but I used a low sodium version so it was healthier than the canned soups, and felt like the time saved was totally worth it. I had a flavorful, comforting soup made in about half an hour - perfect for a chilly day. 

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth*

1 onion, diced

1 cup carrots, sliced

1 cup celery, sliced (approx. 2 stalks)

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp parsley

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 ½ cups egg noodles

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, combine chicken broth, onion, carrots, celery, Italian seasoning, parsley, pepper, and bay leaf.

2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Stir in noodles, return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for approximately 10 minutes (until the noodles and vegetables are tender).

4. Remove the bay leaf, then stir in chicken and heat through.

*I prefer my chicken noodle soup heavier on the noodles than the broth, but feel free to add an additional 2 cups of broth if you would like a broth-ier soup!

Makes approximately 4 servings.