Quarantine kitchen recipe #2

Slow cooker chicken minestrone soup

Hi everyone!

Hope you are all still in high spirits. Getting some rest. Doing some deep thinking. If you aren't, perhaps some comfort food will help? Here is the recipe for my pantry staples slow cooker chicken minestrone soup. I made it up! Just work with what you have! Substitute canned stuff for frozen if you don't have some things. Soups are pretty versatile! Also, please don't come for me if you are Italian and you don't believe this to be very traditional. haha. IT BE DELICIOUS THOUGH.

Let me know if you give it a go. This recipe makes a lot, so if you are not feeding a whole family, you can probably halve this lol. Or you can make the lot and freeze some for a rainy day :) 

Ingredients

Curly Fettuccine

• 2 chicken breasts (optional)
• 2 cans diced tomato
• 2 cups stock- I used chicken, but most will work for this!
• 2 cups water
• salt and pepper
• 2 sprigs fresh Rosemary, 1tsp if dried
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce (check yours if you are vego, this can have anchovy in it)
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cans mixed corn, peas and carrot, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup pearl barley, rinsed
• Pasta of your choice- I used curly fettuccine and broke it up into small pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 onion cut into quarters

The method is super super easy...put all of the above (other than the corn, pea and carrot mix and pasta) in your slow cooker. And cook on high for three hours and forty minutes. Then take out your chicken, shred it with two forks, return it to the cooker. After this, put in your pasta and vegetables for a further twenty minutes or until pasta is al dente. 

This is a very filling delicious soup. However, I still decided to make a very simple cheesy garlic flat bread to go on the side...because...well...I am a glutton lol. It was a last minute decision, but boy am I glad I did that. Simon my boyfriend referred to it as a 'banger' haha.

If you have the following, it is worth it. But the bread is not a staple so I did not include it in the above.

Take some Lebanese bread and spread butter on top (I hope your arteries are prepared). Then sprinkle garlic powder, salt and dried Italian herbs and cover with shredded cheese. I used shredded cheddar. Cook at 220 degrees for 8 minutes or until golden. You won't be sorry.

The best cheesy garlic flatbread ever