Chicken Minestrone Soup
This Chicken Minestrone Soup is an easy, wholesome meal for a busy day. Vibrant vegetables, rotisserie chicken, and elbow pasta make it a simple but hearty meal in itself.
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 221kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil vegetable, canola, or olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup chopped baby carrots
- 2 zucchini chopped
- 3 ribs celery chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth divided
- 14 ounces canned pinto beans rinsed and drained
- 14 ounces canned kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 28 ounces canned Italian style crushed tomatoes in puree
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt (or other all-purpose seasoning)
- 1 cup cooked elbow macaroni ½ cup uncooked prepared according to package directions
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken diced or shredded (see notes below for more ideas)
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish
- shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in Dutch oven or soup pot over MEDIUM heat and sauté the onion, carrot, celery and zucchini for 5 to 10 minutes, just until slightly softened. Add the garlic and cook a couple minutes more.
- Add 4 cups of the chicken broth and reserve the remaining broth for later. Add the beans, crushed tomatoes, and dried seasonings. Increase the heat as needed to bring the soup to a boil.
- Stir in the cooked macaroni and reduce heat to LOW. Add the chicken and as much of remaining chicken broth as needed for the desired consistency. Add the parsley, if using. Simmer for a couple of minutes and remove from the heat.
- Top individual servings of the soup with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
In place of rotisserie chicken you can use leftover chicken or turkey or ½ pound ground turkey or beef, cooked and drained.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerator - Once the soup has cooled, transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate. Leftovers should be consumed within three to four days. For longer storage, see the freezer instructions below.
Freezer - Spoon the cooled minestrone soup into freezer-safe plastic storage bags. Remove as much air as possible, seal the bags, and label them with the contents and date. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in your freezer until frozen solid. Once frozen, they can be stacked to save space.
Reheating - Soups that contain pasta will thicken when refrigerated. Add additional chicken broth or a splash of water when reheating to thin the broth.
Nutrition
Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 683mg | Potassium: 811mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2282IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 3mg