We had our first true rainy day last week… proceeded by a weekend of 80 degree beach weather. Fall in LA is truly a magical thing. I sometimes find it hard switching back and forth between seasons but it does make for an interesting few weeks. The day it rained I was beyond excited to have an excuse to stay inside and be cozy. Then this past weekend, I was just excited to whip out a bathing suit and take Koa to the beach (TWICE). Despite the whiplash of the daytime vibes, it does inherently get a bit colder at night and I sure do feel those early morning baby wake ups when the sun doesn’t rise until an hour+ after we do. 

In this weird and wonderful interim period I am slowly transitioning to cozier vibes inside the house. I pulling out all my favorite sweat suits (Nick is thrilled) and pulling out my long list of favorite soups. 

Soups are elite because 1) they are filling, delicious, and extremely healthy, 2) minimal cooking time beyond chopping, and 3) you can set it and forget it in a crockpot if you have a busy day.

So say hello to a soup I whip out when I am feeling scatter brained and pulled into many directions (like which season to embrace). Honestly, the recipe slightly changes almost every time I make it depending on what random ingredients I need to use up… sometimes I throw zucchini in because it’s laying around (like I did here), sometimes I don’t add tomatoes, sometimes I use rotisserie chicken instead of cooking it fresh, and sometimes I use elbow noodles instead of spaghetti-style. All that really matters is the broth is delicious, the spices are right, and the longer you let it sit, the better it gets!

A few quick tips and notes before we dive in:

Rotisserie vs. Raw Chicken?

For an even quicker dinner, substitute raw chicken for pre-cooked rotisserie chicken and add in the end with the noodles.

Pro-Tip: In my experience, the noodles will soak up some of the broth. The best way to combat your soup from turning into overly soaked noodles if you are not eating immediately is to – 1) refrigerate and save the cooked noodles separately so they are cold before adding to the warm soup when you are ready to eat, just be sure to toss them with a dash of olive oil to keep from molding together, 2) do not add noodles to the  boiling pot, let the soup cool down, stir in the noodles, then re-warm to eating temperature, and 3) eat it all at once ha!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. chicken (see note above for rotisserie vs. raw)

4 large carrots (diced)

1 large zucchini (diced)

1 yellow onion (diced)

1 can diced tomatoes

4 cloves garlic (minced)

64 oz. chicken broth or chicken stock (essentially 2 boxes)

1 box gluten-free noodles of choice 

3 tbsp. Italian seasoning (or 1/3 oregano, 1/3 thyme, 1/3 basil)

1 tbsp. fresh dill (if avail)

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil or Butter

Optional toppings: lemon, fresh shredded parmesan, red chili flakes, Maldon salt

Serving Size: 6-8

INSTRUCTIONS

STOVE TOP VERSION

• Dice all your vegetables: onion, carrots, zucchini, and garlic.
• In a large soup pot, saute diced onion and minced garlic with your choice of olive oil or butter until fragrant and the onions become translucent.
• Add diced carrots and zucchini. Cook until beginning to soften (about 3-4 minutes).
• Toss in a dash of salt, pepper, and all the Italian seasoning.
• Meanwhile, clean and cut chicken into large chunks that will be easy to shred later. 
• In the large soup pot, push the veggies to the side and sear the chicken on each side for a few minutes.
• Stir the chicken and vegetables all together, adding the can of tomatoes and dill. 
• Top with chicken broth.
• Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for another 60 mins until chicken is fully cooked shred-able.
• Meanwhile, make pasta according to the box instructions. Once fully cooked and drained, toss with a tbsp. of olive oil and set aside. 
• Once the chicken is fully cooked, turn the stove off to cool down the broth, remove it from the pot and shred it.
• Return to the pot and add the cooked (and cooled) noodles when the broth is cooled. 
• Enjoy! *I like to squeeze the juice of one lemon on top at the end and serve with a few wedges, parm, and red chili flakes.

CROCKPOT

• Add all the ingredients to the crockpot except the cooked noodles.
• Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours before shredding the chicken.
• Remove from heat and stir in the noodles.