Homemade Chicken "Noodle-O's" Soup for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

A while back I picked up some wheat pasta rings (from "Eating Right!" a Safeway house brand) to try. Feeling congested and a little under the weather last week and wanting to knock it out of my system, I decided some garlicky chicken noodle soup would be the cure I needed, and the wheat rings the perfect addition. (There is just something infinitely comforting about chicken soup made with pasta in fun shapes). I put a free range chicken and some veggies in the slow cooker on low overnight to make some healthy homemade stock and cooked chicken, and loaded the soup up with noodles and garlic. A delicious, and natural home cure for whatever ails you and it reminded me of a childhood favorite, Campbell's Noodle-O's soup--only much, much better!

Homemade Chicken Noodle-O's Soup
by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Makes 8 servings)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped 
5 cloves garlic, minced

8 cups chicken stock or broth (homemade or use use a good low sodium broth)
1 heaping Tbsp dried parsley
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups whole wheat pasta rings or other whole wheat pasta
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed

Heat large stockpot over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add carrots, celery and minced garlic and saute until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add stock, dried parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in pasta rings and cook as package directs (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally until pasta is tender. Add chicken and heat 5 minutes until warmed through. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Notes/Results: The rich, garlicky stock was just the thing to knock out whatever was in my system. I made mine full of the pasta, chicken and veggies so it was two parts soup to one part noodle bowl. Not the most exotic soup but it tasted great and sometimes a classic is just what you need. The pasta rings were not as chewy as most whole wheat pasta (I think you could easily sneak them in and kids wouldn't notice), and I liked the fact they offered a bit more fiber (about 3g per half cup), than normal pasta. I would make this again. 

Let's see who has a soup, salad or sandwich to share in the Souper Sunday Kitchen today:

Welcome Danielle from Cooking for My Peace of Mind, joining us from Southern California and making her first appearance at Souper Sundays. Danielle says, "The other day I wasn't feeling well but I was in the mood to cook something. I came across an old old mini cookbook that use to be my mother in laws: The All New Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking School Cookbook. I came across Minestrone. It sounded easy enough. And I had everything I needed to make it. Fannie says the soup should be very thick.I forgot to garnish with Parmesan Cheese (blame it on the cold)....but I didn't forget my homemade Italian Style Herb Bread...."

After ages of not being able to locate black-eyed peas and heirloom tomatoes at the same time, Kim from Stirring the Pot was finally able to get them both and make this beautiful salad of Heirloom Tomatoes and Black-Eyed Peas from Tyler Florence. Kim says, "We enjoyed it and would eat it again, but agreed that we missed the cheese like a Caprese salad would offer. This salad was stunning in presentation and would be healthier than a Caprese, a good option for anyone watching what they eat." 

Chaya from both Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog and Sweet and Savory Says It All made salad on both blogs this week. First up, this Thai Slaw Salad. Chaya says, "This is a salad that I am going to add to my repertoire for the Sabbath. It is was crisp and tasty. We all enjoyed it. It is colorful and adds to the “soul” of the table."

Next she made this Red Salad by Nigella Lawson, saying, "When, I was a child, most of our salads had tomatoes and onions in them. No, we did not have the beans. That has been appreciated only recently. Yet, when I see those tomatoes, I think of my Mom's salads, a bit more "traditional" with greens rather than beans to make the salad. Those luscious tomatoes that we used to grow in our garden bring back fond memories."

Debby from A Feast for the Eyes used a basket of fresh figs to make some fig jam and then turned it into this delectable Brie and Fig Jam Panini. Debby says "Heaven, I tell you. My husband gave this five stars. I caught him rooting in the fridge for more fig jam. It's gone. I'm crossing my fingers that, tomorrow, I can buy more fresh figs. I want to make a lot more of this jam! Figs and Brie are meant for one another. Next time, I'd be very tempted to add caramelized, sweet onion to this sandwich... or maybe I'd add prosciutto!"

Also getting figgy with brie is Joanne from Eats Well With Others who snuck a small ziploc container of the little beauties from her Dad's fig tee on her last visit. She sliced her figs and paired them with the perfect cheese in this Grilled Fig and Brie Sandwich. Gorgeous! BTW, Joanne is hosting Regional Recipes this month and it is Scandinavian food, so if you have a hankering for Swedish Meatballs or Danish Ebelskivers, go visit Joanne to get the details for taking part in this event. 

Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies had a lot going on in her kitchen this weekend starting with homemade Kaiser rolls which morphed into Meatball Subs and finally a salad of Cherry Tomatoes with Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing She says,"This weekend my son asked me to make him meatball subs, so I thought that would be a great way to showcase my kaisers.  I used a Rachel Ray recipe, for the meatballs, jarred marinara sauce, and a lovely topping of caramelized onions and beet greens. I thought of this topping in the eleventh hour, it added a nice adult touch to our subs, very tasty indeed. I served my garden baby tomatoes on a bed of greens with this light and delicious dressing."

Some wonderful recipes again this week--thanks to everyone who shared. If you have a recipe you want to share for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays, click on the logo on the side bar for all the details.

Note: I am posting a bit early today and before the noon (HST) deadline since my Mom is here and I want to get her out of the house rather than sitting around watching me blog. So if you still have an entry for this week, I'll add it to the round-up tonight. 

Have a great week!