Easy "sick day" Soup

I very clearly remember the moment when someone told me that chicken noodle soup didn't have to come out of a can.   I'd *never* thought that one of the easiest soups to make was our go-to sick day soup.  It just had never occurred to me.

I was at a friend's house for dinner, well, technically it was her parents' house (hey!  we were in college!), and we were just chatting in the kitchen.  She'd casually mentioned making a big pot of chicken noodle soup as comfort food, and I'm pretty sure I looked at her like she had three heads.   Making chicken noodle soup?   You mean, not just opening a can and dumping it in a pot and reheating it?   Huh.   Never knew you could do that! 

I think about that every time I make some now.   It's still my go-to "sick day" soup, and I hardly make it unless someone in the house is sick.    I guess we've been too healthy for too long, because when I told the boys that we were having chicken noodle soup for dinner.....they didn't know what it was.  haha.  Whoops.  Mommy fail.  (or win?!?!)

Anywho, we don't eat very much meat anymore, so last night's version wasn't quite the same as what I would make in college.  I still make it with chicken broth, but it could easily be made with veggie broth, if that's what you have on hand.  Homemade, store-bought, doesn't matter.  I'm not picky.  

Easy Sick Day Soup (aka chicken noodle soup without the chicken)

*8-10 cups broth or veggie base  (I used chicken broth because I still wanted that chicken flavour.  You want something that has salt in it if you're dealing with sick kiddos - that salt will help to rehydrate them)

*1 pack of egg noodles (I like the extra wide in this soup)

*about 4 cups of chopped veggies  My personal favourite combination of fresh veggies includes onion, celery, carrots, and peas.   If I'm going to cheat, I try to match my frozen combination with that, and I just skip the sauteeing step below

* two cans of small white beans, drained and rinsed

* bay leaves (I do 2)

* 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced

* your favourite combination of oregano, thyme, and basil.  I really like it with the herbes de Provence mix (you can find a make-it-yourself version here)

In a large stock pot, combine your fresh veggies, garlic, and a couple of tablespoons of broth.  If you're using frozen veggies, only do this with your garlic.  If you're using some fresh and some frozen (that's what I did last night), just do this with your fresh veggies.

After a few minutes (once the onion is translucent and you can smell the garlic), add in your herb combination (not the bay leaves).  Cook for just a minute, and then add all of the broth and bay leaves.  

Bring to a boil, and then simmer for at least 30 minutes.   While this is simmering, drain and rinse your beans, and cook your egg noodles according to package instructions.

Once you can really smell the herbs, it's time to add the beans.   In a blender, puree the beans with about a cup of the chicken broth (drain the veggies out of that cup of broth, or you'll end up with a funky colour to your soup).   You know you've pureed it enough when your broth/bean mixture looks creamy and there are no visible chunks of beans left.

Add the bean/broth mixture back into the stockpot, then add your frozen veggies.   Cook for a few minutes, until your veggies are soft,  and then stir in your cooked egg noodles.  Season with more salt/pepper if you'd like, but I usually don't if I've used store-bought broth.   I find it salty enough as it is.

That's it!  :)   Salty, comfort food goodness that's still filling, even without the meat.   You can freeze the broth/veggie/bean mixture for later use, but don't add the egg noodles until you thaw and reheat.  If you freeze those, you'll end up with a gooey mess once you reheat it. 

Enjoy!   May you never have a reason to enjoy a batch of "Easy Sick Day Soup."  ;)