Sure, it's still 70+ degrees in New England but it's officially November, which means soup season. This Garden Vegetable Chicken & Potato Soup is THE best soup to make yourself after a long day or if you're feeling a cold coming on. It is also the best soup to enjoy for several days since it stays relatively fresh in the fridge, so make your coworkers or classmates jealous and bring this into work/school!
There are many ingredients in this recipe, but nothing to feel intimidated about. You have an incredible source of vegetables, fiber, protein, and healthy fats all in one delicious and heartwarming bowl and the 15 minutes you spend prepping will be worth it!
You're going to need chicken breast, tomato, squash, zucchini, lentils, spinach, potato, and some satisfaction factors that are listed in the ingredients for your viewing. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, please feel free to opt out of the chicken, you can add more lentils for more protein if you'd like! Let's get to the recipe!
Yields: 4 (meal preppable as well for 1 person)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
This recipe is dairy free and gluten free. This recipe can be easily made vegan by making the soup without the chicken breast.
Ingredients:
1.1 chicken breast
2. 1 medium tomato, grated
3. 1 carrot, chopped medium
4. ½ sweet onion, finely diced
5. 2 zucchini, chopped medium
6. 1 summer squash, chopped medium
7. ¼ cup of green lentils, washed
8. 1 yellow potato, peeled
9. Handful of spinach
10. 2 cups of vegetable broth (or chicken/bone)
11. 4 TBSPs extra virgin olive oil
12. 1 TSP dried oregano
13. Salt
14. Tomato paste
15. Optional: garnish of black pepper or finely diced parsley
Instructions:
1.First, have your chicken breast defrosted. Grab a small pot and fill it with water ¾ of the way. Place it onto the stove on medium-high heat. Add in 3 bay leaves and slices of lemon. Add your chicken in and allow it to fully boil until shreddable and fully cooked.
2. While the chicken is boiling, prepare the vegetables and have all ingredients on the counter ready to go!
3. Grab a large pot and have the heat on medium-high. Drizzle in 4 TBSPs of olive oil and add in the onion and carrots. Sauté them for 2 minutes or so and add in 2-3 TBSPs of tomato paste.
4. Stir well and then add in the zucchini, lentils, squash, and grated tomato. Stir again.
5. Pour in 2 cups of vegetable broth and stir. Make sure you have an electric kettle of boiling water to be able to add hot water to the soup contents. (Tip: always add hot water to foods not cold)
6. Pour in roughly 6 cups of water into the pot.
7. Add in the whole peeled potato.
8. Stir everything and add ½ TSP salt.
9. Turn the heat to medium and allow the soup to cook until the lentils and potato are fully cooked/soft.
10. Make sure to add more hot water as the soup cooks for about 45 minutes - hour. The water levels will decrease. For context, I added more water twice after that.
11. Now, your chicken breast should be done boiling. Drain the water and allow it to cool. Once it's cooled, shred the chicken with your hands.
12. Once the potato has softened, use your ladle to mash the potato into smaller chunks. (Just mash it inside the soup with your ladle)
13. Add in the shredded chicken breast and allow the soup to cook for 5 more minutes.
14. Add in a handful of spinach and stir it in.
15. Now, add in the dried oregano and taste for salt. Salt to your liking. I added roughly 2 more TSPs of salt.
16. Stir the soup one last time and it should be done!
17. Serve and garnish with black pepper or fresh parsley.
