Sometimes, All You Need Is Soup

It's a typical New England February day- rainy, snowy, cold, and grey. I'm about to say something controversial... this is my favorite kind of day. I live for days where it's socially acceptable to lay on the couch, watch tv, and eat all day. And today... was that day. 

On a day like this I get into my day time pjs (it's a thing, don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about) and think about what cozy food I want to make! I've had my heart set on soup for a while now and was waiting for the right moment to make it. I decided on chicken noodle, but I wanted something different. After scouring the internet for the perfect recipe, I settled on a mix of a couple and added my own little tweaks and let me tell you... this is the best soup I've ever made and will definitely be my go to from now on. 

-1 tbs butter
-2 tbs olive oil
-2-3 cups chicken (cooked)
-1 can cream of chicken soup (10.5oz)
-6 cups chicken broth
-1 cup whole milk
-2 celery stalks, chopped 
-3 carrots, chopped
-2 medium onions, chopped
-1 tsp lemon pepper
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1 packet of ranch seasoning (1oz)
-1 cup cheddar cheese (get a block of cheese to shred, the pre shredded stuff won't melt correctly- I like New York sharp)
-4 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
-8 oz pasta (I used spaghetti)
-1 Tbs lemon zest
-salt and pepper

1. Chop the onion, celery, and carrots into bite sized pieces, set aside.
2. Chop or shred the chicken however you like, set aside. 
3. Shred the cheese, set aside.
4. In a large stock pot on medium heat, sauté the carrots, onions, and celery in the butter, olive oil, half of the ranch seasoning packet, lemon pepper, garlic powder, salt, and pepper for five minutes or until they start to soften.
5. Once the veggies are good to go, add in the chicken stock, chicken, milk, cream of chicken soup, cream cheese, and the rest of the ranch seasoning packet. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and let simmer for 25 minutes- stirring occasionally. (The soup might look a little funky because of the cream cheese but just stir and break everything up and it will eventually become a creamy consistency.)
6. Bring the soup back to a rolling boil. Once the soup is boiling, add the pasta (I broke mine into smaller pieces) and shredded cheese- stir to combine everything. At this point, you want to be stirring pretty regularly so I suggest staying at the stove until the pasta is fully cooked and you're done!
7. At the very end, mix in the lemon zest.

(Little thing I like to do with soups because I like them a bit thicker- turn the heat off and put the cover on and leave it for 5-10 minutes. Perfect.)

Be VERY careful, this soup is the temperature of the sun and will burn everything in your mouth. I know it looks and smells like heaven, but just wait a few minutes. If I can show self control, you can too! Throw in some crusty bread or saltines and you're golden. 

Chicken soup is so many things to so many people: medicine, comfort, love, nostalgia, delicious... they even named a series of "inspirational" books after it! I personally was the proud owner of a few versions... ohhh those teen years.

I know one of the ways I show love is through food, and this soup given to a loved one who is maybe not feeling so hot, going through something, or is just hungry, is probably the perfect use of your energy.

This soup is warm, filling, and oh so comforting so I hope it does your body good on a cold rainy day.

Meaghan