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A bowl of minestrone soup with a spoon and crusty bread on the side.
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Chicken Minestrone Soup

This Chicken Minestrone Soup can be made year-round. It's full of fresh vegetables, white beans, tomatoes, and shredded chicken. Serve with parmesan, red pepper flakes, and a crusty baguette to soak up the delicious broth.
Course Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American, Italian
Diet Kosher, Low Fat, Low Lactose
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 287kcal
Cost $20

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups diced yellow onion (about 1 onion)
  • 1 cup diced carrots (about 2 carrots)
  • 1 cup diced celery (about 3 celery ribs)
  • 1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 garlic cloves)
  • 6 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 (14.5 ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes do NOT drain
  • 1 (15.5 ounce) can great northern beans rinsed and drained
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound) uncooked
  • ¾ cup dry ditalini pasta or other small shaped pasta
  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and green beans. Cook about 5 minutes, or until the onions start to soften.
  • Stir in garlic. Cook another 1 minute.
  • Pour in chicken (or vegetable) broth, diced tomatoes, and great northern beans. Season with bay leaves, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.
  • Carefully place chicken breasts into the pot. Make sure they are submerged in the broth.
  • Bring soup to a boil. Decrease the heat to low. Cover and let simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the pot and place on a cutting board or plate. Set aside.
  • Add ditalini pasta to the soup. Boil, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is al-dente. Stir occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick together.
  • While the pasta cooks, shred the chicken using two forks.
  • Remove bay leaves. Add shredded chicken to the pot. Stir in fresh parsley.

Notes

  1. Make this soup vegetarian or vegan-friendly by using vegetable broth and leaving out the chicken breasts.
  2. Serve with red pepper flakes, grated parmesan cheese, and a crusty french baguette.
  3. If you don't have great northern beans on hand, you can use kidney, garbanzo, or black beans instead.

Nutrition

Calories: 287kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 388mg | Potassium: 799mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4226IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg