I love having soups for lunch – they are light, delicious and most importantly will not put to me to sleep after the meal (especially during work :)). I used to buy canned soup for the convenience of a ready meal after 3 minutes of reheating. As I read the sodium levels on the nutrition label, I decided to make my own. I read some recipes online and came up with this as my freestyle cooking – not following a recipe. The ingredients are very simple: vegetables, chicken broth, chicken, pasta and herbs. I like the using herbs in my soup as they brighten up the flavours. I also used lemon to add a bit of refreshing flavour as well.

Ingredients:

Makes 8 – 10 servings.

(I didn’t follow a recipe – adjust portions however you like!)

• 2 pieces of Chicken Breast
• 1 cup Dried Pasta (I used small bow ties), cooked, drained and rinsed
• 5 – 6 Celery Stalks, diced
• 2 medium-sized Carrots, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• herb bouquet – a sprig of rosemary, 2 sprigs of thyme and sage,
  tied together with a piece of cotton string
  *If you do not like herbs, omit them.
• 2 cans of Chicken Broth (375 mL each)
• 2.5 – 3 L water
• Juice of  ¼ of a lemon
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, cook, let cool and dice.
   *I seared my chicken to add extra flavour but it is not necessary.
2. Cook pasta in lightly salted water, drain and rinse.
3. Wash vegetables and dice.
4. Bring chicken broth and water to a boil with the herb bouquet, add vegetables and simmer at medium heat for 10 minutes.
5. Add cooked pasta and chicken, simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
6. Fish out herb bouquet, add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
7. Soup is served!

This soup is super easy to make, yummy and good for you – just requires a bit of vegetable chopping.  I am ditching the canned stuff for good. 8)