Broccoli and Chicken Noodle Soup

If the broccoli florets are large, break into smaller pieces at the stalk instead of chopping them; they'll cook more quickly. Count on having dinner on the table in about 40 minutes, and serve this soup the moment it's done for the best results. In fact, if you wait, you'll find it gets thicker with time. If you have leftovers, you will want to thin the soup with a little chicken broth or milk to the desired consistency.

Yield 10 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup presliced mushrooms
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1.1 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/4 cup)
• 4 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 4 ounces uncooked vermicelli, broken into 2-inch pieces
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded light processed cheese (such as Velveeta Light)
• 4 cups (1-inch) cubed cooked chicken breast
• 3 cups small broccoli florets (8 ounces)
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; add butter to mushroom mixture, stirring until butter melts. Sprinkle mushroom mixture with flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gradually add milk and broth, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 10 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Add pasta to pan; cook 10 minutes. Add cheese to pan, and stir until cheese melts. Add chicken and remaining ingredients to pan; cook 5 minutes or until broccoli is tender and soup is thoroughly heated.

Nutritional Information

Calories:317

Fat:12.3g (sat 6.8g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.9g)

Protein:27.5g

Carbohydrate:23.8g

Fiber:1.9g

Cholesterol:74mg

Iron:1.6mg

Sodium:723mg

Calcium: 179mg

Holly Kapherr, Cooking Light, MARCH 2009

Vegetable-Bacon Noodle Toss - Cooking Light

Ingredients

1/2 (16-oz.) package uncooked wide egg noodles
4 bacon slices
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup light balsamic vinaigrette
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Garnish: flat-leaf parsley sprig
Preparation
1. Prepare egg noodles according to package directions; drain noodles, and keep warm.

2. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tsp. drippings in a small bowl. Discard remaining drippings. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel. Crumble bacon.

3. Sauté chopped onion in hot reserved drippings over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Add squash, zucchini, and tomatoes; sauté 6 minutes or until squash and zucchini are crisp-tender. Add egg noodles, bacon, vinaigrette, and next 3 ingredients, stirring until well blended. Cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly heated. Serve immediately. Garnish, if desired.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette.

From Cooking Light
Yield
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Southern Living, JUNE 2006