Aaahhh….spring! We’re in sweaters one day and shorts the next, the kids are sneezing their little noses off, and I’m excited for new recipes, packed with produce. I saw this recipe for Spring Vegetable Chicken Noodle Soup in the April issue of Better Homes and Gardens, and it sounded just too delicious not to try immediately.
It was quite good, but I’ve tweaked it a bit and now we think it’s even better! My family loves my chicken noodle soup in the winter, but I think they like this one almost as well, especially in warmer weather when they crave (whether they know it or not) healthy vegetables. I have to say, though, the hubs makes me a little crazy by adding hot wing sauce to his…I’m sure it’s because of the orange broth and his mind thinking it should taste like wings. Whatever.
But first, here’s what we ate:
- Monday: Spring Chicken Noodle Soup with Fresh Pineapple and Cauliflower Garlic “Bread”
- Tuesday: Three-Cheese Tortellini with Dave’s Gourmet Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce and Waldorf Salad
- Wednesday: Beef Kebabs with Grilled Peppers and Onions with Blue Cheese Wedge Salad
- Thursday: Grilled Marinated Chicken with Corn on the Cob and Poppyseed Strawberry Salad
- Friday: Shredded BBQ Chicken Sliders with Alessi Sweet Potato Puffs and Cucumbers with Rice Vinegar
Now, for the soup recipe. This soup comes together in a little more than thirty minutes, as does the Cauliflower Garlic Bread. My kids cannot get enough of the “bread”…if you haven’t tried it, you should! I follow the recipe I linked above, except that instead of ricing or grating the steamed cauliflower, I put it in the food processor. I tried ricing, and it was really, really difficult to get the cauliflower to pass through the ricer. As far as grating, that might be easier, but I have to get a bowl dirty anyway, so why not use the food processor for the whole thing?
Spring Chicken Noodle Soup
(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens magazine)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 4 cups (1 quart) carrot juice
- 1 cup orange juice
- 4 cups (1 quart) chicken broth
- 2 cups carrots, diagonally sliced
- 2 cups celery, sliced
- 8 oz “kluski” noodles
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 2 cups shelled edamame
1. In large stockpot, sauté the onion in the olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add curry and cumin and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add juices, broth, carrots, and celery. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer twenty minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
2. Add noodles, bring back to a boil, and cook six minutes, until noodles are done. Add chicken and edamame and continue cooking until hot throughout.
Serves 6 to 8
Click here for the printable recipe
