The "Feel Good" Soup

I've never been a big soup person but lately that seems to be my forte, huh? I suppose it's the extremely cold temperatures we've been enduring which has forced me to rethink the soup thing.

In any event, this weekend seemed the perfect time to make my first batch of Chicken Noodle Soup, complete with homemade noodles, of course!

For the noodles, I used a basic egg noodle recipe (see below). Then, using my pasta machine and the fettucine setting, I made the noodles, cutting them several times for use in the soup. If you don't have a pasta machine, you can always roll the dough with a rolling pin and hand cut the noodles. Either method will result in the most delicious homemade noodles you've ever tasted!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C. plain flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Sift the flour onto a clean work surface, forming a mound. Make a hollow in the center. Break the eggs into the hollow. With a fork, break up the eggs and start gradually whisking, incorporating the flour from the edges a little at a time. Try not to let the egg spill over the sides. Keep whisking and then mixing by hand until all the flour is incorporated.

Knead the dough lightly for 6-8 minutes until glossy. The dough should not be sticky; add more flour if necessary. Cover the dough lightly and leave to rest for 30 minutes before using.

Here is the recipe I used to make the soup. And on a cold winter weekend, there is no other soup that warms the body and the soul quite like homemade chicken noodle soup!

Ingredients:

4 C. water
2 (32-ounce) cartons fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 T. olive oil
1 C. onion
1 C. celery
1 t. salt
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
3 medium carrots, chopped
12 ounces egg noodles
5 C. shredded cooked chicken breast
2 T. McCormick's All-Purpose Seasoning
4 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Combine water and chicken broth in a large dutch oven. Add onion, celery, salt, pepper, and carrot. Bring to a boil. Stir in chicken and noodles. Turn down heat and simmer until chicken is throughly heated and noodles are al dente. Stir in parsley. Serve with warm french bread!

Obviously this makes quite a large pot of soup so invite friends over to enjoy it with you or freeze some for later or you can always half the recipe!!

A perfect meal for a perfectly cold, winter day! It will definitely make you feel good!