Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• half of a yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 large carrots, thinly sliced into rounds
• 2 stalks celery, very finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6-7 cups chicken broth (I always use the Better Than Bouillon base – it has the best flavor. Buy it at Target!)
• 2 cups old-fashioned egg noodles (I used Mrs. Miller’s)
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 2-3 cups fresh spinach leaves, torn into small pieces (optional)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Steps

1. 1

   Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery; cook it down generously for 7-10 minutes, or until very tender and starting to caramelize.

2. 2

   Add garlic, salt, and thyme sprigs; saute for a minute so it’s nice and fragrant.

3. 3

   Add broth and noodles. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until noodles are tender.

4. 4

   Remove from heat. Pull out the thyme sprigs. Add spinach, chicken, and cream. Stir to combine; you want everything heated through and the spinach to be wilted. (FYI – you might notice some oil separating on top, but if you let it rest for 10-20 minutes, that oil will get re-absorbed by the noodles. And if you can’t wait, just give it a stir and you’ll be good to go.)

5. 5

   Serve with some hot crusty bread and top each bowl with fluffy freshly grated Parmesan cheese!