Very Veggie Chicken Vegetable Soup

I haven’t made soup for a while, which is kind of crazy since I love soup. Part of the problem was that I had run out of all of my homemade stock. I always try to keep stock on hand, because it’s so much better than store bought and it’s way less expensive, too.

So anyways, yesterday I made a big batch of homemade chicken stock (9 quarts!) so that I could make this delicious and healthy chicken vegetable soup. This soup is loaded with vegetables and flavor. I had a lot of vegetables in the fridge that I needed to use up and I thought it would be perfect to use to make a hearty soup!

The great thing about this soup is that you really could use whatever vegetables that you have on hand. I think zucchini, eggplant, green beans or kale would also be delicious in this recipe. Cannellini beans would also be a great addition to this. I would have added them to the pot, but Alex doesn’t like beans (crazy kid!). Next time I make this, if he’s not going to be around for dinner, I will definitely add beans.

This makes a large batch, about 8 servings, which is great because that means leftovers for lunch!

Very Veggie Chicken Vegetable Soup

1 cup shredded or chopped carrots (I had shredded carrots that I wanted to use up)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 – 15 oz can chopped tomatoes, undrained
1 – 10 oz package frozen spinach, defrosted and well drained
2 quarts chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
1 to 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, peppers, celery and garlic to the pot. Season with Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes until onions are translucent and soft.

Stir in tomatoes and spinach. Add chicken stock, increase heat and bring mixture to a boil.

Add chicken, peas and parsley. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 5 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add more salt and pepper if necessary.