Lunchbox Chicken and Mini Pasta "Stoup"
Make this thick, hearty and nutritious chicken soup to fill up your kids’ thermoses for school lunch. In the fall you can use all sorts of autumn vegetables—try butternut squash, parsnips, or rutabaga for the carrots and celery—or your own canned tomatoes from a garden harvest.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
2 to 3
(14 ounces)
Just BARE® Hand-Trimmed Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 quart
low-sodium chicken broth (4 cups)
1 tablespoon
olive oil
3/4 cup
chopped
onion
3/4 cups
diced (1/4 inch) carrot or parsnip (1 medium)
1/2 cup
diced (1/4 inch) celery (1 stalk)
1 can
(14-1/2 ounce)
crushed tomatoes
1 can
(14-1/2 ounce)
diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained
1 teaspoon
dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon
coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1
bay leaf
1/2 cup
uncooked
mini pasta (stars, alphabets, acini de pepe, or rings)
1 can
(15 ounce) cooked
garbanzo or Great Northern beans, rinsed, drained
1-1/2 cups
chopped
Swiss chard, mustard greens, or spinach
Grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, if desired
Directions
- Place chicken in 12-inch skillet. Add 2 cups broth; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center (165°F).
- Meanwhile, in Dutch oven or large soup kettle, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté 8 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- Remove chicken from poaching broth; set aside. Skim foam from broth; add to sautéed vegetables. Stir in remaining 2 cups broth, the crushed and diced tomatoes with juice, rosemary, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Heat to boiling; stir in uncooked pasta. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 15 minutes.
- Shred chicken into bite-size pieces; add to soup. Stir in garbanzo beans and greens. Remove bay leaf. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese.
Nutritional Information
PER SERVING • Calories 286 • % Calories from Fat 18 % • Total Fat 6 g • Saturated Fat 1 g • Trans Fat 0 g • Cholesterol 41 mg • Sodium 605 mg • Total Carbohydrate 36 g • Dietary Fiber 7 g • Protein 27 g • Sugars 7 g • % DAILY VALUE • Vitamin A 72 % • Vitamin C 33 % • Calcium 11 % • Iron 27 % • DIETARY EXCHANGES • Starch/Bread 2 • Lean Meat 2 1/2 • Vegetable 1Substitutions/Variations
Just BARE® Hand-Trimmed Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs may be substituted for Just BARE® Hand-Trimmed Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts. Other fall vegetables may be substituted for the carrot and celery.
Nutritional values may change if you choose to substitute another chicken product or any other ingredients. If substituting frozen chicken for this recipe, thaw before cooking. If substituting fresh whole boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut the whol
Tips
Cook’s Note: If the soup thickens more than you like as it cools, stir in an additional cup of water or broth. Makes 6 (1-1/2 cups) main dish servings or 8 (1-1/4 cups) lunchbox servings.