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Comforting Hearty “Chicken” Soup

November 21, 2013 by Ceara 9 Comments

This past week I’ve been cursed with sniffles. The moment I get the sniffles I start to crave Chicken Noodle Soup…
 
comforting hearty chickensoup2
 
This led me to making this veggie-filled, nutrient packed and antioxidant galore “Chicken” soup that will have you back up and running in no time! It is full of veggies, good for you spices, healthy hearty lentils, and I even slipped some chia seeds in there for good measure and substance 😉 The chia seeds and lentils thicken this soup right up without ever having to use a “roux” made out of flour and butter! This chicken soup will leave you feeling totally satisfied (it is soooo filling!) and energized! Sometimes when you are sick “Chicken” Soup is just what the Doctor ordered 😉

Chicken Noodle Soup and I go wayyy back – In my first year of university, I literally lived off the box chicken noodle soup mix. I would have it almost every day for lunch and maybe even dinner. It’s no wonder I often walked around feeling sluggish and also gained the “freshman” 15 (atleast!) my first year. The Chicken Noodle Soup bought in stores is full of sodium (wayy too much!), preservatives, and super processed! Let’s be honest there is nothing “whole” about the store bought chicken noodle soup packs I’ve come to love and crave…Step Aside store-bought Chicken Noodle soup – there’s a new soup in town!
 
chicken noodle soup
 

As a plus, this soup makes a super hearty and large portion so you can enjoy it all week until you get back on your feet (and you won’t have to worry about making a second batch!). The flavours seem to enhance the longer your soup marinates in the fridge (for up to a week). I’m already feeling better since the weekend and almost 100% – this “chicken” soup might just be calling my name for lunch… 🙂

This soup also makes the perfect post-run soup. The weather is getting quite chilly here and after a big run I crave a big bowl of hearty soup! This soup is very restorative since it is filled with tons of yummy nutrients & antioxidants…One little extra with this soup is that it contains a ton of fiber (because of the lentils), so I would not recommend eating it pre-run (will make your run a little less pleasant if you know what I mean) 😉

 
ceara s kitchen
 
Wishing everyone a great weekend filled with lots of happiness and good health!
Comforting 'Chicken' Noodle Soup (Vegan "Chicken" Noodle Soup)
 
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Author: Ceara
Ingredients
  • 1 diced medium sized red or yellow onion
  • 4 diced garlic cloves (or more if you love garlic...)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ heaping tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ heaping tsp ginger
  • ½ heaping tsp cayenne
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil* (or 2 tsp dried basil)
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube (or you can just sub in water for veggie broth)
  • 2 cups chopped leeks (white part)
  • 2 chopped medium size tomatoes (I used Roma tomatoes)
  • 2 chopped medium carrots
  • 2.5 heaping cups chopped cauliflower
  • 5 cups water (plus about a cup of water to sautee veggies in)
  • 1¼ cups pureed pumpkin/squash*
  • 1½ cups red lentils
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds* (optional)
  • Salt and Pepper
Directions
  1. In a large, deep pot sautee the garlic and onions in half cup of water, over medium-high heat, until slightly browned (about five minutes). Add water when necessary. Watch closely to make sure that a bit of water remains in the pot.
  2. Add olive oil, spices and basil. Sautee for a couple of minutes to release the flavours of the spices. Make sure that there is still a bit of water in the bottom of the pot (add water when necessary).
  3. Dissolve bouillon cube in water (or just use vegetable broth instead of water).
  4. Add leeks, tomatoes, carrots, caulilfower, and water (remaining five cups) to the pot.
  5. Add pureed pumpkin (or squash).
  6. Maintain a steady simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes until the carrots are soft.
  7. Add lentils and chia seeds. Simmer soup on medium heat until the lentils are fully cooked (about 25 - 30 minutes).
  8. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper (or cayenne) to taste!
  9. Leave the soup in the pot (off heat) until the end of the day and it will continue to thicken. Soup will keep for up to a week in the fridge.
  10. Voila! Enjoy!
Notes
• Sub pureed squash if pumpkin is not available.
• Sub 1-2 heaping tsp of dried basil if you don't have fresh basil on hand
• Leave out the chia seeds if you don't have any
Nutritional Benefits:No cholesterol, very high in fiber, high in iron, very high in protein, low in fat,very high in vitamin C, A and B6, manganese, magnesium, and thiamin.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 1632 Fat: 27g Saturated fat: 4g Unsaturated fat: 20g Carbohydrates: 281g Sugar: 40g Sodium: 499mg Fiber: 63g Protein: 91g
3.5.3251
 

What’s your go-to comfort food whenever you’re feeling “under the weather”?

Filed Under: All Recipes, Appetizers, Fall, Gluten Free, Low Fat, Mains, Oil Free, Savory Eats, Sides, Soups & Stews, Vegetables, Winter Tagged With: comforting, hearty, soup

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Comments

  1. learn more says

    March 26, 2023 at 11:42 am

    Hey there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyhow, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back often!

    Reply
  2. Beauty Fashion says

    March 16, 2023 at 6:55 am

    May I have information on the topic of your article?

    Reply
  3. Beauty Fashion says

    March 2, 2023 at 9:01 pm

    May I have information on the topic of your article?

    Reply
  4. Jenna says

    February 19, 2015 at 6:44 pm

    How many Weight Watcher points plus is this?

    Reply
    • Ceara says

      February 20, 2015 at 11:41 am

      I believe it is 2points+ Jenna! This was one of my favorite soups (and still is) when I was on WW – so filling 🙂

      Reply
  5. Carol Copps says

    November 23, 2013 at 1:46 am

    This is going to be the recipe I try this weekend. Probably going to double it and have soup all week! Can’t wait to try it…

    Reply
    • Ceara says

      November 23, 2013 at 11:07 am

      Great mom! I hope you like it!! Such a comforting and yummy soup! 🙂

      Reply
    • Carol Copps says

      November 23, 2013 at 9:22 pm

      This soup is absolutely delicious! Perfect on a snowy wintery day – thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    • Ceara says

      November 24, 2013 at 1:29 pm

      Glad to hear that you enjoyed it! This is for sure one of my favourite comforting soups during the winter 🙂

      Reply

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