easy chicken noodle soup with pesto

Did you guys get blasted with this end-of-the-season cold too? Eck! It's been a germ factory around here! And though my kids have learned to cough into their elbows, we're still working on our sneezing etiquette: It's like they are consciously trying to spray every surface of this house in germs. If I lit a candle, the house would probably explode from the amount of Lysol I've been spraying...

Anyhoooo, now I know your mouths are just salivating for a recipe, amiright? I know snot talk always makes me hungry. (But doesn't Chicken Soup automatically make you think of being sick anyway?)

This is the best, easiest Chicken Soup recipe. And it's delicious. (Seriously, Jon normally hates Chicken Soup but he gets really excited when I make this one.) The only problem is, you'll never be able to eat canned chicken noodle again. At least without wishing you had this instead.

{{Chicken Soup with pesto}}

8  cups (64 oz) chicken stock (plus more to add after cooking)

1 pound dry whole wheat noodles*

1 pound carrots, peeled & chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

2-3 cups cooked chicken (I always use a rotisserie chicken because it tastes the best, but any cooked chicken will do), diced.

salt/pepper

pesto (recipe below)

 *It's fine to use regular noodles, but whole wheat maintain their taste and don't get super mushy after storage

{1} Bring chicken stock to a boil

{2} Add noodles (I use the whole pound because I love me some pasta. It makes it more stew-y. But for a traditional Chicken Noodle Soup, you may want to use only 2 1/2 to 3 cups of noodles) and bring back to a boil.

{3} After 5 minutes, add the chopped carrots & celery. 

{4} After 5 more minutes, add the diced chicken and let boil for 1-2 minutes longer.

{5} If needed, add salt/pepper. The stock I use is pretty flavorful (as well as the rotisserie chicken) so I usually skip this step.

{6} Serve soup with a spoonful of pesto (recipe below, or store-bought works too!)

{{Pesto}}

In a blender, mix: 

2-3 cups of fresh basil leaves

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/4 cup pine nuts

salt/pepper to taste

My friend Steph is the sweetest and surprised me with this soup & sandwich plate set from Uncommon Goods. For absolutely no reason, either- just because she heard me mention that I was crushing on it. To say I'm lucky in friendship is an understatement.

Here's wishing you're making this just cause it looks good and NOT because of illness :)