Wednesday, October 26, 2011

It's 5:30 and no dinner!

Sometimes this happens to me, even though I have meals in the freezer. Fortunately, I also usually put some cooked meat in the freezer for days such as tonight. Between all morning with my Mom at the Dr., then helping a friend...ok, we were mostly visiting, but we did accomplish an important task, then transporting my daughter from school to home, I was finally free at 5:30 to cook! Here's what I came up with:

Chicken and Vegetable Soup
2 C cooked diced chicken (found in freezer)
2 Quarts frozen Chicken Broth (homemade)
2 C Boiling Water
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves. Minced
4 medium carrots, sliced
1 small zucchini, sliced
3 T fresh parsley, minced
1 T dry basil
1 t dry thyme
¼ t black pepper
1 shake red pepper flakes
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
½ C dry pasta (left over in the cupboard)
Salt as desired

Get out soup pot and sauté pan.
Place frozen broth and water in soup pan, turn to medium and defrost.
Place 2 T Olive oil in sauté pan and place onion in. Stir and add garlic. I sprinkled ½ teaspoon kosher salt over the mixture at this point.
When onion is becoming clear, place mixture in soup pot.
Saute carrots and zucchini for 7 minutes then place in soup pot.
By now broth is boiling and it’s time to add the spices.
Add the pasta and beans.
Keep the broth at a light boil.
The soup is done when the pasta is al dente.
Turn the stove to warm and serve!
Serve with roasted garlic bread, which I had left over from the night before…..we dip it into balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil..YUM!

Honestly, we were eating by 6:30pm!