I am apparently raising a little chef. My oldest has been coming up with recipes lately. We finally had the opportunity to try one out. You know what? It was fabulous!!

This is a great way to get a homemade soup on the table in just about 45 minutes (depending on how fast you chop). This soup has that cooked-all-day, slaved-over-my-stove flavor because of the use of store-bought stock and rotisserie chicken. Let someone else do all the work and feel free to take the credit. I know I do! Through our CSA we have been overloaded with greens and so decided to throw a bunch of kale in here to use it up and add nutrition. Turned out lovely. All the kids and grown-ups in my immediate family loved it. My mom even liked it – and she doesn’t like soup.

Give it a try, you wont regret it.

NUTS and BOLTS

• 8 cups Chicken Stock
• 4 Medium Carrots, Sliced
• 4-5 Stalks Celery, Chopped (including leaves)
• 2 Green Onions, Sliced Finely
• 2-3 cups Chopped Flat Leaf Kale (according to taste)
• 3 cups Pre-Cooked White Meat Chicken, Diced (I used both breasts from a store-bought rotisserie)
• 8 oz Uncooked Pasta

Seasonings

• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1 tsp Dried Parsley
• 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 3/4 tsp Salt

WHAT TO DO WITH IT ALL

In a large stock pot add all 8 cups of stock. Begin heating on medium and add your chopped carrots, celery, green onions, and seasonings. Bring to a low boil, cover and cook about 20 minutes or until carrots start to soften, stirring occasionally.

While the vegetables are cooking, shred or chop the white meat from a pre-cooked chicken and chop your kale. I chopped it pretty fine so that it would be unobtrusive and, lets face it, impossible for children to pick out.

Once the carrots are fork tender, you can add the kale to the pot. Allow to wilt and add the chicken. At this point, you can let the soup simmer until you are nearly ready to eat.

The noodles that my daughter picked were amazing. Brightly colored and infused with vegetables. I guess it goes to show that raising kids with healthy options and watching food network is inspiring. That’s my girl! These are by a brand called Eden – Organic Pasta Vegetable Spirals. We found them at Whole Foods, but any noodles will work, of course.

When your monkeys get restless and dinnertime approaches, add the noodles to your soup. Stir and boil for 8-10 minutes until the texture is right for your family.

I think in the near future I will try to make a whole-grain dumpling as an alternative to noodles… I love chicken and dumplings! When I figure it out I will be sure to share.

MONKEY METER

The twinkies had a bit of a time trying to scoop  the larger noodles, but when assisted ate 3 bowls each, drank the broth and kept saying thank you. 4.5 of 5

The chef ate and ate! She was so excited at how well her recipe turned out. 5 of 5

All the grown-ups loved it. 5 of 5