The ultimate comfort soup! Full of delicious flavors, and good-for-you ingredients, you absolutely can’t go wrong with this recipe.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion ~1/2 large onion
1 cup diced celery ~3-4 stalks
1 cup diced carrot ~3 carrots
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon chicken boullion powder
1/2 teaspoon EACH: fine sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried thyme
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup UNCOOKED orzo pasta
2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded/chopped
2 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Optional: fresh thyme, parmesan cheese, and crusty bread for serving
Instructions:
Add olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add in onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until the onion is translucent and veggies are crisp tender, stirring occasionally, about 7-9 minutes (Reduce heat if veggies are browning) Add in the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. While veggies are cooking, measure out all the spices.
Add in the spices (chicken bouillon powder, salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, thyme, and Italian seasoning) and stir around for 30 seconds. Add in the chicken broth and bay leaf. Increase heat to a boil. Once boiling, add in the orzo pasta. Boil according to package directions, subtracting 2 minutes from what the package says.
Stir in the shredded rotisserie chicken and then spinach. Gently stir to warm through chicken and allow spinach to wilt, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Season to taste if any additional salt/pepper is needed.
Ladle into bowls and garnish if desired with fresh thyme. Add parmesan cheese if desired to individual bowls. Serve with crusty bread.
