Pasta Soup With Chicken Vegetables (Printable)

A warming bowl loaded with chicken, pasta, carrots, celery, zucchini and green beans in savory broth.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
03 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
04 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
07 - 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
08 - 1 cup frozen peas
09 - 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
10 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

→ Pasta

11 - 1 cup small pasta shapes (ditalini or elbow macaroni)

→ Liquids and Fat

12 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
13 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Seasonings

14 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
15 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
16 - 1 bay leaf
17 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

# How-To:

01 - In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery, sautéing for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in chicken cubes and cook for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned but not fully cooked through.
04 - Add zucchini, green beans, diced tomatoes with juices, thyme, basil, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine.
05 - Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
06 - Add pasta and peas. Simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes until pasta reaches al dente texture and chicken is cooked through.
07 - Remove and discard bay leaf. Stir in fresh parsley and adjust seasoning as needed.
08 - Serve hot, optionally garnished with additional fresh parsley or grated Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • The soup thickens slightly overnight in the fridge, transforming your leftovers into something even more magical than the first serving.
  • You can swap vegetables based on whatever is looking sad in your produce drawer, making it the perfect end-of-week recipe that still feels intentional and nourishing.
02 -
  • If you add the pasta too early, it will overcook and become mushy—I learned this the hard way during a distracted cooking session when I was simultaneously helping with homework.
  • Salting the soup adequately makes an enormous difference—I once served an under-salted batch that tasted flat and lifeless until everyone added salt at the table.
03 -
  • Save Parmesan rinds in your freezer and toss one into the soup as it simmers—it imparts an incredible umami depth that cant be achieved any other way.
  • For meal prep, prepare everything except adding the pasta and peas, then refrigerate—when youre ready to eat, bring back to a simmer and add pasta for perfectly cooked noodles every time.
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