As we see the East Coast facing winter storms, we may be feeling the need to warm up. What better way than with soup! Soups make delicious, easy meals for the winter months.  A great thing about soup is that they can be made in large batches, enough to last a few days or to be frozen and reheated at a later date. A variety of soups can simply be created by adding any combination of base, produce, protein, spices and grain if desired.

One of our gracious volunteers, Noelle Horario has generously shared one of her own soup recipes with us. Noelle is currently a bilingual outreach and enrollment specialist and Americorps member at WithinReach WA. She loves cooking and creating her own recipes. Noelle recently volunteered for a class at Swedish Cherry Hill as the chef. The class was lucky enough to prepare the soup and it was a hit. Find it below and give it a try!

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

By: Noelle Horario
Serves 8, 1 ½ cup per serving
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts vegetable stock
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 medium leeks
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 can of white beans (Garbanzo or Catalina)
• 2 chicken breasts
• Sage (fresh or dried)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil

Directions:

• Rinse, peel, and chop carrots and onion. Peel and mince garlic.  Rinse and slice tomatoes and leeks.  Rinse and chop kale.
• On a separate or a clean cutting board, dice chicken breasts.
• In a colander, drain and rinse white beans (Garbanzo or Catalina).
• In a large pot, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Heat over medium heat.  Add chopped onion and sautee until lightly browned. Add minced garlic to the pot and sautee for 5 minutes.
• Increase heat to medium-high. Add chopped carrots and diced chicken breasts.  Add salt, pepper, to taste.  Ensure that the diced chicken is brown which should take about 5 minutes.
• Add sliced leeks, slice tomatoes, chopped kale, and can of white beans.
• Sautee chicken and vegetables together for another 5 minutes.
• Add vegetable stock to large pot and lower temperature to medium heat.
• Cover and bring soup to a simmer until warmed through.