When I want a heartier version of chicken noodle soup, this warm creamy soup is what I go for. It has all of the coziness of a bowl of chicken noodle- with cream, parmesan and mozzarella added for extra richness. I also use leeks in this recipe which have a mild sweet onion flavor and add depth to the broth as they soften and melt down into the soup.
My favorite thing is to serve this soup alongside a big slice of sourdough bread. After all of the big chunks of chicken, noodles and veggies have been eaten, I love to dunk the bread into the remaining broth.
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Ingredients
- butter
- olive oil
- carrots
- leeks (white and light green part)
- onions
- celery
- garlic
- Italian seasoning
- salt
- pepper
- thyme
- flour
- chicken stock
- parmesan rind
- noodles
- heavy cream
- mozzarella
- cooked chicken
- spinach
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Dice carrots, celery, onions and leeks. Add butter and olive oil to a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onions and leeks and sauté until soft. About 5 minutes.
Step 2: Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add salt, pepper, Italian blend, thyme and flour. Stir for about 2 minutes, breaking up any clumps of flour.
Step 3: Pour in chicken broth and add a parmesan rind. Bring to a low boil, then reduce to simmer. Cover and allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Remove the parmesan rind and add pasta. Cook the pasta for 1-2 minutes less than the package directions. You want the pasta to be al dente, because it will continue to sit in the hot broth.
Step 5: Add heavy cream, shredded mozzarella, cooked chicken and spinach. Stir until the mozzarella is fully melted. Serve topped with freshly grated parmesan.
Hint: When adding the flour, evenly sprinkle it across the top of the veggies to help minimize clumps.
Give yourself the gift of prep
Prep the veggies: If you already have the knife and cutting board out chopping carrots, celery, onions and leeks go ahead and chop a lot! Place what you need for for the soup in your dutch oven and put the rest of the mixture in a freezer bag. Next time you make a soup your veggie base is already done! If you don’t want to add leeks to all of your soups, just freeze them separately.
Keep the veggie scraps: Don’t throw out the veggie scraps from your carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Throw them in a gallon bag in the freezer. Keep adding until you have a full bag, then use the scraps to make homemade Chicken Bone Broth.
Use soup cubes: Get a 1 or 2 cup silicone soup cube freezer mold. Freeze the soup in cubes and store in a freezer bag. Now you have an easy single serving. I keep a gallon freezer bag on hand with multiple different frozen soup cubes so I always have a quick lunch.
Substitutions
- Noodles- use any king of noodle you have on hand! Just break up long/ large noodles like spaghetti or lasagna.
Top Tip- How to clean a leek
Start by trimming off the tough dark green tops and the root end. Slice the leek in half longways, then slice each half into into half-moons, about ½ inch wide. Place the slices in a large bowl of cold water and swish them around with your hands. Lift the leeks out of the water rather than pouring them through a colander, this keeps and dirt or sediment in the bowl. Repeat with fresh water if needed.
Related
Looking for other soup recipes? Try these:
Make it a soup and salad pairing:
Creamy Chicken Soup
Course: Soups6-8
servings15
minutes40
minutes55
minutesIngredients
2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 leek (white and light green part)
1 medium onion
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoon flour
6 cups chicken stock
parmesan rind
3 oz noodles
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup mozzarella, shredded
1 ½ cup cooked chicken, chopped
½ cup frozen spinach (or 1 cup fresh, chopped)
Directions
- Dice carrots, celery, onions. Slice the white and light green part of the leeks into half moons. *see note
- Add butter and olive oil to a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onions and leeks and sauté until soft. About 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add salt, pepper, Italian blend, thyme and flour. Stir for about 2 minutes, breaking up any clumps of flour.
- Pour in chicken broth and add a parmesan rind. Bring to a low boil, then reduce to simmer. Cover and allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the parmesan rind and add pasta. Cook the pasta for 1-2 minutes less than the package directions. You want the pasta to be al dente, because it will continue to sit in the hot broth.
- Add heavy cream, shredded mozzarella, cooked chicken and spinach. Stir until the mozzarella is fully melted. Serve topped with freshly grated parmesan.
Notes
- How to slice and clean a leek: Start by trimming off the tough dark green tops and the root end. Slice the leek in half longways, then slice each half into into half-moons, about ½ inch wide. Place the slices in a large bowl of cold water and swish them around with your hands. Lift the leeks out of the water rather than pouring them through a colander, this keeps and dirt or sediment in the bowl. Repeat with fresh water if needed.
- Adapted from Brita Cooks
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