This Chicken Minestrone Soup is an easy, healthy meal for a busy day. Hearty veggies, rotisserie chicken, and elbow noodles make it an easy but hearty meal on its own.
Other quick, delicious roast chicken soup recipes include my Creamy Southwest Chicken Soup and Tortellini Soup with Chicken Vegetables.
This delicious Chicken Minestrone Soup recipe packs a punch!
It’s packed with fresh veggies and pasta, as you’d expect from a good minestrone recipe. But the simple step of adding rotisserie chicken makes this soup rich enough to satisfy my entire gang here.
It’s cold, rainy and we’re all still recovering from the overindulgence in holiday food. This is THE perfect time for a bowl of this healthy Minestrone Soup with Chicken.
This isn’t the first time I’ve spiked a soup recipe with protein. My Slow Cooker Hamburger Minestrone Recipe is another tricky way I make soup for dinner without anyone complaining.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- oil – I use a neutral oil like vegetable or canola oil. You can use olive oil if you like.
- vegetables – Onion, baby carrots, zucchini, celery and garlic. Chopped fresh green beans also go really well with this soup.
- broth – Low sodium chicken broth. I always mix my own with Better Than Bouillon.
- beans – Canned kidney beans and pinto beans. I sometimes substitute cannellini beans for the pinto beans if I have them on hand.
- tomatoes – I like to use a can of Italian-style chopped tomatoes for more flavor.
- Dried Spice – Basil, oregano, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt (or your favorite all-purpose spice).
- pasta – For a classic minestrone vibe, I like to use small elbow macaroni, but ditalini pasta is also a good choice.
- Boiled Chicken – Either shredded or chopped roast chicken breasts. You can also use leftover turkey or even cooked turkey or beef. Choose a protein according to your taste!
- Optional for garnish – Fresh parsley and shaved or grated Parmesan cheese.
How to Make Chicken Minestrone Soup
Before you begin, cook the pasta in a separate saucepan according to package directions. The noodles should be cooking when you start the soup.
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large stockpot over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, carrot, celery and zucchini until slightly soft. Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
- Add most of the chicken broth, reserving the remaining broth for later. Stir in the beans, tomato passata, and dried spices and bring the soup to a boil.
- Add the cooked and drained pasta and reduce the heat to low and add the chicken.
- Add as much remaining chicken broth as needed for desired consistency. Simmer for a few minutes and then remove from the stove.
Garnish the soup with some fresh parsley for more color and a bit of fresh herbal flavor. I like to have shaved parmesan ready for everyone to add to their soup.
Storage and reheating tips
refrigerator – Once the soup has cooled, transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and store in the fridge. Leftovers should be consumed within three to four days. For longer storage, see freezer instructions below.
freezer – Pour the cooled minestrone soup into freezer-safe plastic bags. Remove as much air as possible, seal the bags and label the contents and the date. Lay the bags flat in your freezer in a single layer until frozen solid. Once frozen, they can be stacked to save space.
warm up – Soups that contain noodles will thicken when refrigerated. When reheating, add additional chicken broth or a splash of water to thin the broth.
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Chicken minestrone soup
This Chicken Minestrone Soup is an easy, healthy meal for a busy day. Hearty veggies, rotisserie chicken, and elbow noodles make it an easy but hearty meal on its own.
Servings: 10 portions
ingredients
- 2 tablespoon oil, vegetable, rapeseed or olive oil
- 1 Cup diced onion,
- 1 Cup chopped baby carrots,
- 2 zucchini, chopped
- 3 celery, chopped
- 2 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided
- 14 ounces Canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 14 ounces Canned Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
- 28 ounces Italian-style mashed canned tomatoes in puree
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, (or other all-purpose seasoning)
- 1 Cup cooked elbow macaroni, ½ cup uncooked, prepared according to package directions
- 2 cups grilled chicken, diced or shredded (see notes below for other ideas)
- ½ Cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- shaved or grated parmesan cheese, To serve
instructions
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Heat oil in Dutch oven or stockpot over MEDIUM heat and sauté onion, carrot, celery, and zucchini until slightly tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a few minutes longer.
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Add 4 cups of the chicken broth, saving the remaining broth for later. Add the beans, crushed tomatoes and dried spices. Increase the heat as needed to bring the soup to a boil.
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Stir in the cooked macaroni and reduce the heat to LOW. Add the chicken and enough remaining chicken broth to get desired consistency. Add the parsley if using. Simmer for a few minutes and remove from the stove.
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If desired, sprinkle individual portions of the soup with Parmesan.
Remarks
storage and rewarming
refrigerator – Once the soup has cooled, transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and store in the fridge. Leftovers should be consumed within three to four days. For longer storage, see freezer instructions below.
freezer – Pour the cooled minestrone soup into freezer-safe plastic bags. Remove as much air as possible, seal the bags and label the contents and the date. Lay the bags flat in your freezer in a single layer until frozen solid. Once frozen, they can be stacked to save space.
warm up – Soups that contain noodles will thicken when refrigerated. When reheating, add additional chicken broth or a splash of water to thin the broth.
nutrition
Calories: 221 kcal · Carbohydrates: 28 G · Protein: 16 G · Fat: 6 G · Saturated Fatty Acids: 3 G · Cholesterol: 22 mg · Sodium: 683 mg · Potassium: 811 mg · Fiber: 7 G · Sugar: 7 G · Vitamin A: 2282 ie · Vitamin C: 21 mg · Calcium: 89 mg · Iron: 3 mg
Nutritional information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients and is an estimate, not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This recipe is courtesy of Bonnie. A sweet lady with some really great recipes I’ve known. Thanks Bonnie