Chicken Vegetable and Pasta Soup

With winter approaching I always get the hankering to make soup, especially a nice chunky soup that I can mop up with fresh crusty bread.

This Chicken Vegetable and Pasta Soup is something that my mother cooked all the time during my childhood and I still love it today although I am not convinced my version is as good as my Mam's was!!

The addition of the pasta makes it extra filling and like all good dishes it is jam packed full of vegetables. Funnily not much is added to this recipe by way of herbs or spices, the flavours of all the vegetables and the poaching of the chicken makes it just superb and is just so simple. And another bonus is that it is freezable making it perfect for work lunches.

Chicken Vegetable and Pasta Soup

Serves: 12

ProPoints per serve: 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 brown onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

600 grams chicken breast fillet, all visible fat removed and cut in half

4 litres of chicken stock (made with stock powder)

freshly ground black pepper

4 carrots, sliced

1 red capsicum, diced

1 green capsicum, diced

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

250 grams pasta spirals

2 medium zucchini, diced

110 gram tin corn kernels, drained

1/2 cup frozen peas

2 tablespoons cornflour

2 tablespoons water

Heat oil is a large saucepan over medium heat and add onion, celery and garlic. Cook until onion is tender. Add chicken pieces and stock. Season with pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Remove chicken from stock and allow to cool.

Add the carrots, capsicum, parsley flakes and pasta spirals. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

Meanwhile shred the cooled chicken into chunks. Return to the soup along with the capsicums, corn and peas.

In a small bowl mix together cornflour and water and stir through soup until thickened slightly.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)