1 lb cooked shredded or chopped chicken breast (or rotisserie chicken)
4 cups (1l) low-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 cup cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and fresh black pepper
2 cups uncooked ditalini pasta (or any other small pasta)
2 cups chopped spinach
1/2 cup parmesan cheese for garnish, optional
DIRECTIONS
1. To make the creamy chicken pasta soup: In a large dutch oven, add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic and saute in olive oil until tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add cooked chicken and continue cooking for 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
2. Add the broth, heavy cream, and cream cheese. Cover and bring to a boil, then cook for 15 minutes.
3. Lower the heat, then add pasta and cheddar and simmer until pasta is cooked to your liking. Add spinach to the chicken pasta soup toward the end, and stir until wilted.
4. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve the creamy chicken pasta soup into bowls and top with extra parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Note: If you like a thinner chicken pasta soup, you can cook pasta on the side and add to the soup at the end and reheat before serving.
TIPS FOR THE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP RECIPE
This creamy chicken pasta soup is quick and super easy to prepare. It’s heartwarming, delicious, and loved by everyone who tries it! Here are a few tips to make the best chicken pasta soup ever!
This soup is loaded with tender shredded chicken, plump pasta, and healthy vegetables. Feel free to customize the recipe and add your favorite veggies like tomato, mushrooms, or even chopped leeks!
If your chicken pasta soup is too thick once it’s done, simply add more chicken stock in small increments until reaching your desired consistency,
WHAT OTHER PASTA IS BEST FOR CHICKEN SOUP?
Traditional egg noodles, broken spaghetti, rotini, macaroni, or whatever you have on hand! This chicken pasta soup recipe is very forgiving so you can use whatever pasta you like.
CAN WE MAKE THIS PASTA SOUP LOWER IN CARBS?
Yes! Instead of noodles, you can add in zucchini noodles for a lower-carb option or sweet potato noodles. Toss them toward the end of cooking time, so they have time to absorb some juice, but without breaking up.
CAN WE MAKE THIS CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP AHEAD OF TIME?
You can prepare this chicken pasta soup in advance and store it in the fridge, but do not add the pasta until you are serving it. If you add the noodles or pasta to the chicken soup before serving, they will swell up and become mushy. So add the pasta when you reheat the soup for serving, adjust the consistency with more chicken stock if necessary.
Also, keep in mind that this soup won’t freeze well because it contains dairy which tends to separate and curdle when frozen but