Here’s a simple, nourishing, kid-friendly soup that you can have ready in under 10 minutes. This is my son’s favorite soup for his lunch thermos at school.
Chickpea Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Makes a little over 4 cups of soup.
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans), cooked (not dried)
mini pasta, small amount to taste
chicken, diced or shredded*
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pesto
1/2 cup diced tomatoes, drained, optional
cayenne pepper or freshly ground black pepper, optional
grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, optional
*Rotisserie chicken is great, or homemade roast or boiled chicken. If the only chicken you have is raw, boil it in the chicken broth before proceeding with this recipe.
Instructions:
Heat chicken broth until simmering. Shake in mini pasta and simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cooked chicken, chickpeas, and diced tomatoes (if using). Continue simmering until pasta is cooked to your taste. Stir in pesto, and top with a sprinkle of cayenne or black pepper and freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.
Tips:
When we have rotisserie or roast chicken for dinner, I chop up the leftover meat for this soup and freeze it in portions sized for one pot of soup. Pesto also freezes well in ice cube trays — I just trim a slice off a cube to use for this soup. Since the rest of the ingredients are pantry staples, I can make this soup any time with ingredients I have on-hand.
Our favorite workhorse thermos, used every day in our household:
