I had high hopes of finishing my breakfast room chairs this weekend but, alas, it didn’t happen.  So you get my homemade soup recipe instead!

My approach to soup is simple (and lazy) – throw some things in a pot with some chicken broth and call it a day.  It typically works out pretty darn well!  I’ve come up with a version of chicken noodle soup that is incredibly easy, and Jason and I think it’s really tasty.

You can adapt this recipe however you want, but here’s how I make it:

Ingredients*

32 oz low-sodium chicken stock

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can corn

1 can navy beans

1 tablespoon bacon bits

2 tablespoons minced dried onions

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

ground pepper to taste

3 handfuls fresh, washed baby spinach

1-2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (you can use rotisserie, canned, whatever – Jason always bakes a few chicken breasts each week and we use them for sandwiches, pizza toppings, tacos, and soups!)

8 oz uncooked pasta (I use acini de pepe – little round pasta balls)

*These are all things that I always have in my pantry/fridge – make changes to the recipe to incorporate staples from your kitchen!

Pour the chicken stock into a large pot and whisk in the cream of mushroom soup (this gives the soup a little more substance).  Start heating the chicken stock/mushroom soup to a boil while you start opening cans, etc.  Then drain and rinse your cans of navy beans and corn.

Add the beans/corn into the soup pot and add in bacon bits, onions, ground pepper and red pepper flakes.

Add in the shredded chicken, and then tear the baby spinach into small pieces as you add it to the pot.

The last ingredient you will add is your pasta – by this point you want your soup to be at a boil. I think it’s fun to use the tiny acini de pepe instead of macaroni noodles just for something a little different and unexpected – they kind of act like rice in the soup, but you don’t want to add them until the end because they can get really gummy if they’re overcooked.

Just cook the pasta as directed (mine took 9 minutes) and then your soup is ready to enjoy!  It should make about 6-8 servings.

(The soup thickens as it sits, so any leftovers will look a bit more stew-like).

I like to serve this with jalapeno cornbread – delish!  How about you guys – do you like to experiment with making soups?  Or maybe you’ve created some other delicious dish?  Do tell!