Chicken Minestrone Soup

Chicken Minestrone Soup gets lots of help from the canned and frozen sections but tastes fresh, healthy and delicious.

I make a lot of soup because it’s a meal with a big payoff for little effort. Over the years I have figured out lots of short-cuts to help get things simmering in the soup pot more quickly. Soup leftovers are always good and my kids don’t mind eating soup two nights in a row. Minestrone is such a good soup. It’s loaded with vegetables plus lean protein from the chicken and fiber from the beans. Plus it’s a whole meal in one bowl thanks to the pasta.

I always cook my pasta separately for soups like this. It’s customizable that way (some may not want to add the carbs). Plus it keeps the pasta from absorbing too much of the broth from the soup. Also, the pasta will get way overdone and mushy as it sits in the soup for leftovers the next day or later in the week. If you cook fresh pasta each time you serve the soup, it seems brand new again!

Ingredients for Chicken Minestrone Soup

• Cooked Chicken – I used a rotisserie chicken for this recipe but you could also use frozen chicken cooked in your Crock-Pot
• Mirepoix – I recently discovered you can buy pre-chopped onion, carrot and celery in the frozen section and I love it
• Butter and Olive Oil – you can use one or both, I like the flavor of using both
• Italian Herbs – I like this pre-chopped variety I find in my produce section
• Garlic Powder – or use fresh garlic if you prefer
• Harissa Seasoning – I like the smoky flavor it adds to this soup
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Salt and Pepper
• Frozen Spinach – use a chopped variety
• Crushed Tomatoes
• Petite Cut Diced Tomatoes
• Petite Cut Green Beans
• Diced Carrots – I like the size of these carrots instead of larger, canned carrots
• White Beans – use great northern or cannellini beans
• White Wine – I usually enjoy a glass of wine while I’m making soup, so I use whatever I’m drinking
• Chicken Stock
• Pasta – I used macaroni pasta in this recipe
• Butter, Lemon and Parsley – I stir this into the cooked pasta, which I then stir into the soup for individual servings
• Parmesan Cheese – for serving with the soup

How to make Chicken Minestrone Soup

1. Prepare the chicken so you have about 3 cups of cooked chicken to add to the soup
2. Heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat
3. Add the mirepoix mixture and cook until it is starting to soften and brown a bit, about 5 – 7 minutes
4. Add the seasonings, Italian herbs, garlic powder, harissa, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, stirring often, for about 1 – 2 minutes
5. Stir in the frozen spinach and cook until it starts to soften, about 2 minutes more
6. Drain the petite cut diced tomatoes, green beans, carrots and white beans
7. Add all the drained vegetables and the beans, the can of crushed tomatoes, the chicken and the wine to the soup pot
8. Stir until well combined and beginning to simmer
9. Add the chicken stock and stir the soup occasionally until it is simmering
10. Cover the soup and allow it to simmer for at least 20 minutes before serving
11. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions in salted water
12. Add a little of the pasta cooking water to the soup as it simmers if you want your minestrone to be a little thinner
13. Drain the pasta and stir in some butter, lemon juice and fresh parsley
14. Spoon some cooked pasta into each serving bowl and top it with minestrone
15. Sprinkle the minestrone soup with Parmesan cheese to serve

Kitchen Tips

• Use a soup pot similar to this one
• Stir in a little of the pasta cooking water to your soup while it simmering if your soup is too thick
• Serve this soup with a side of garlic bread and a green salad
• Small pasta like macaroni or ditalini work best for this soup

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5 from 10 votes

Chicken Minestrone Soup

Chicken Minestrone Soup gets lots of help from the canned and frozen sections but tastes fresh, healthy and delicious.

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 437kcal

Author Jill McOwen

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked chicken
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 10 oz frozen mirepoix
• 2 tbsp fresh Italian herb mix
• 2 tsp garlic powder or 3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
• 2 tsp Harissa seasoning
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 12 oz frozen chopped spinach
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can petite cut diced tomatoes drained
• 1 can petite cut green beans drained
• 8 oz diced carrots drained
• 1 can white beans drained
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups dry pasta like macaroni
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Prepare the chicken so you have about 3 cups of cooked chicken to add to the soup.
• Heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the mirepoix mixture and cook until it is starting to soften and brown a bit, about 5 - 7 minutes.
• Add the seasonings, Italian herbs, garlic powder, harissa, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, stirring often, for about 1 - 2 minutes.
• Stir in the frozen spinach and cook until it starts to soften, about 2 minutes more.
• Drain the petite cut diced tomatoes, green beans, carrots and white beans.
• Add all the drained vegetables and the beans, the can of crushed tomatoes, the chicken and the wine to the soup pot.
• Stir until well combined and beginning to simmer.
• Add the chicken stock and stir the soup occasionally until it is simmering. Cover the soup and allow it to simmer for at least 20 minutes before serving.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions in salted water. Add a little of the pasta cooking water to the soup as it simmers if you want your minestrone to be a little thinner.
• Drain the pasta and stir in some butter, lemon juice and fresh parsley.
• Spoon some cooked pasta into each serving bowl and top it with minestrone. Sprinkle the minestrone soup with Parmesan cheese to serve. 

Nutrition

Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 899mg | Potassium: 1220mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 9412IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 149mg | Iron: 6mg

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