Italian Chicken Soup

Leftovers are something we eat constantly at my house. There's always something waiting in my refrigerator that was delicious yesterday but I need to do something new with it for dinner tonight. Since we are always watching fat and calories, chicken is the usual suspect for leftover re-purposing. Tonight on a total whim, I threw this together with Minestrone soup as inspiration for flavors. It is super healthy, and could be converted to a vegetarian or vegan recipe with little effort. The recipe follows...

Italian Chicken Soup

1 large chicken breast, cooked and diced

6 stalks of Kale, stripped of ribs and chopped

1/4 cup chopped celery heart

1/2 onion, diced

1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 can (same) diced tomatoes

1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed

2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

8 oz. elbow or shell pasta

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 carton chicken stock

3 cups water

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil 

Drizzle olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and saute carrots, celery, and onion until the onion is translucent. Stir in garlic and pour in chicken stock. Pour in tomatoes (with liquid), crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, water, and beans. Keep heat at medium.

Pour in pasta and cook for 3 minutes. At this point, add in the chicken and kale and stir occasionally until pasta is cooked. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. 

Serve with croutons or parmesan cheese as a garnish. Enjoy!