This slow-cooker chicken noodle soup fits nicely into the Mediterranean diet thanks to plenty of vegetables, lean chicken breast and whole-wheat pasta. Pair it with a salad and toasted whole-grain bread for an easy, healthy dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 (14 ounce) can no-salt-added fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup chopped orange bell pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 ounces whole-wheat rotini pasta
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Step 1
Combine chicken, tomatoes, broth, onion, bell pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, pepper, salt, crushed red pepper and bay leaf in a 4-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on High until the chicken is tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees F, about 3 hours. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Transfer the chicken to a plate; let rest for 10 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, stir pasta into the mixture in the slow cooker; cover and cook on High until the pasta is tender, about 30 minutes.
Step 3
Coarsely shred the chicken and stir it back into the soup, along with basil and parsley. Ladle the soup evenly into 6 bowls; sprinkle with Parmesan and garnish with parsley, if desired.
Equipment
4-qt. slow cooker
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: about 2 cups Per Serving: 256 calories; protein 23.7g; carbohydrates 29g; dietary fiber 3.8g; sugars 4.1g; fat 4.8g; saturated fat 1.5g; cholesterol 47.5mg; vitamin a iu 1037.9IU; vitamin c 37.8mg; folate 26.9mcg; calcium 93.1mg; iron 2mg; magnesium 27.2mg; potassium 516.2mg; sodium 662.7mg; thiamin 0.1mg. Exchanges:
2 lean protein, 1 1/2 starch, 1 1/2 vegetable, 1/2 high-fat protein
