Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

When you really need a good bowl of chicken noodle soup you probably don't have time to make it from scratch. But it is almost impossible to find a decent canned chicken soup. Well I've got a chicken noodle soup recipe for you that will hit the spot without taking all day to cook.



Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
6 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dried pasta
salt & pepper for seasoning

Heat olive oil in large pot. Add onion and cook until tender. Add thyme and cook 1 minute. Add carrots and celery and cook until tender. Add chicken and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then add pasta. Let the soup come back to a boil, then turn down heat to let it simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Season with salt & pepper. Serve with bread.

Black Bean Soup

I have been a slacker in the blogging department, but it's for good reason. On any given day in my house, someone is sick. We have had cold after cold...plus a little teething thrown in for fun. So I haven't been doing much but taking care of the kiddos and trying to keep myself healthy.

Along with the colds has come a lot of soup. Tonight I made a yummy black bean soup. Like most of my recipes, this one is the blending of various recipes plus some random ingredient substitution along the way. I like to keep mine pretty chunky so that you can see there are beans and carrots in it. I like to plop a little sour cream on top and that usually gets the kids to eat it too. Enjoy!



Black Bean Soup

2 slices of bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, pealed and diced
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
4 cans black beans
3 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
salt & pepper to season

In a large pot, cook bacon and then set aside. Saute onions in bacon fat until tender. Add garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Add carrots and cook until they are tender. Add chili powder, cumin and oregano. Add black beans and chicken broth and reserved bacon. Bring to a boil to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Cover and simmer for 15 - 40 minutes. Add lime juice and mix well. Season with salt & pepper. I also like to add a little Tabasco for spice.

Once the soup is seasoned well, use an immersion blender to puree (or put it in a blender...but that gets messy). You can make it as smooth or as chunky as you like. I've made it all ways, but prefer it slightly chunky so that you can tell what is in it.

Garnish with sour cream!