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Cast Iron Cooking: Tips, Recipe Ideas, a Giant Cookie and a Cookbook Review

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:59:11 GMT

The right tool for the right job makes cooking a rewarding experience. I've gone back and forth so many times on the ideal cookware to stock my kitchen with. These days I find myself reaching for one skillet on a daily basis, sometimes washing out the skillet and using it twice for the same meal. I'm talking about my cast iron skillet.

There's much to love about cast iron cookware. For me, the number one thing is the fact that cast iron can withstand very high heat, making it possible to cook restaurant-tasting meals at home. You know what I am talking about- food with a flavorful brown sear on the outside and juicy on the inside. We seem to live in times where products last a year or so before they are made obsolete by the next version. Cast iron cookware lasts a lifetime and more. Long after my nonstick pan surface is chipping, and after the steel skillet handles are coming loose, the cast iron pan will be working as hard as ever. You only have to be a little patient and learn to care for it properly.

With my growing love for cast iron cookware, when I was offered a review copy of The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook: A Treasury of Timeless, Delicious Recipes, I was happy to accept. I had a feeling that this cookbook would give me a few new ideas to use my cast iron cookware (it just so happens that both of my cast iron pans are from Lodge and I'm officially a fan), and it definitely did not disappoint.

1. I like reading cookbooks the way other people read novels, and this one is full of mini essays by different cooks about their cast iron memories. And I enjoyed reading this little nugget- many pieces of Lodge cookware made in 1896 are still in use today. Now that's the kind of antique I would not mind collecting.

2. The book is rich in vegetarian recipes and they sound oh-so-good, just to name a few- seasonal breakfast frittata, pimiento cheese panini sandwich, summer squash casserole, roasted corn pudding; there's even a recipe for rajma.

3. I always thought it was a bad idea to cook tomato-based dishes in cast iron, because acidic foods leach the iron and make the food taste too metallic. Many of the recipes were tomato based so it is indeed fine to cook acidic foods in cast iron, only perhaps I wouldn't leave the food in the pan too long after cooking. This opens up even more possibilities of using my cast iron cookware.

4. There is a whole section on cornbread recipes, all grand prize winners of the National Cornbread Cook-Off held annually in Tennessee. I really enjoying looking through the innovative variations on cornbread, like upside-down salsa cornbread and festive good luck cornbread skillet (yes, it calls for black-eyed peas).

5. I never thought to use my cast iron skillet for pizza and desserts. The cookbook has wonderful recipes for both. I then looked at food blogs and found many more, like this nice pictorial recipe for cast iron pizza and another one from King Arthur. Pineapple upside down cake is the classic recipe for dessert in a cast iron skillet, but I also can't wait to make these brownies, and Siri has a wonderful recipe for banana bread.

All in all, paired with a piece or two of cast iron cookware, The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook cookbook would be a wonderful wedding or housewarming gift.

One of the recipes from this cookbook that jumped out at me was for a giant chocolate chip cookie. A simple chocolate chip cookie dough patted into a cast iron skillet and baked into a giant cookie that can be cut and served like a pie- what fun!

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie-in-a-Pan
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, melt and cool 1.5 sticks butter (3/4 cup).
3. Stir in 1 cup sugar and a dollop of molasses and beat well.
4. Add 1 large egg, 1 egg yolk and 2 tsp. vanilla extract and beat well.
5. Gently stir in 1 and 3/4 cup flour, 1 tsp. baking soda and 1 tsp. salt.
6. Fold in 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips and 1 cup toasted chopped walnuts.
7. Scrape batter into a 10-inch cast iron skillet sprayed well with baking spray. Pat down into an even layer.
8. Sprinkle batter with coarse sea salt.
9. Bake until the edges are lightly browned, 30-35 minutes.

Cut into wedges and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. With the bittersweet chocolate and the hit of sea salt, this was a grown up version of a childhood classic. For a special occasion, it would be fun to use an icing tube and decorate this "cookie cake" the way they do it at the mall cookie stalls.

Here is a list of top 10 ways that I use my two cast iron pans. There are many brands out there but like I said, both of mine are Lodge, from their seasoned line, and I love them. I cook a lot of Indian food so it is not surprising that I have adapted my cast iron pans for some of my favorite Indian dishes.

. Dosa. This is the reason I bought this griddle in the first place. When we moved to St. Louis from NYC, I tearfully bid farewell to the wonderful dosa restaurants near 28th street and Lexington Avenue and thought my days of eating authentic dosas were over. Not so- we acquired a wet grinder and I bought this wonderful cast iron tava, and we're making our own almost-as-good-as-the-local-Udipi-joint dosas, baby.

Here are some of my kitchen notes for making dosas in a cast iron pan:
I always smear the cast iron pan with a tsp. of oil before starting to use it, and drizzle a few drops of oil or ghee around every dosa edge. For a new cast iron pan, you may need a little extra oil to begin with.
Get the pan nice and hot before pouring the first dosa. Cast iron takes longer to heat up compared to metal or non stick pans (however, once it heats up it retains heat remarkably well). Hover the palm of your hand a couple inches above the pan's surface- you should feel the high heat.

Make sure the dosa batter is at room temperature. Batter straight from the fridge tends to stick to the pan.
Let the bottom get completely cooked and crispy before attempting to flip the dosa or pry it up (many dosas are cooked only on one side). Once the dosa cooks, it will come off the surface. Half cooked batter sticks to the griddle surface so be patient.

By the way, my dosa formula is adapted from Vaishali's recipe. I use 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup dosa/idli rice (parboiled rice), 1/2 cup urad dal, 1/3 cup poha, 2 tbsp chana dal, and 1 tsp. methi seeds.

2. Rotis etc. All of our tava-cooked Indian breads, including chapatis and rotis and stuffed parathas turn out beautifully on the cast iron tava, with nice brown spots on the outside and soft insides- and this works for both cooking them and reheating them.

3. Patties: Vegetable patties are my favorite crisper-cleaning snacks and a tasty way of eating assorted vegetables. I use the griddle for shallow frying patties, such as these, and patties for ragda patties.

4. Kaap: These are pan-fried slices of vegetables that make for irresistible side dishes to a simple Indian meal. In general, I make a mixture of rice flour, rava, chili powder, turmeric and salt, then dredge thick slices of vegetables (potato, sweet potato, plantain, eggplant, pumpkin, butternut squash) in it and pan fry on this griddle. Much more than any other pan I have used, the result is a crispy spicy coating enclosing soft, melt-in-the-mouth vegetables.

4. Grilled cheese: Cast iron griddles make the most fabulous grilled cheese. Some of our favorite cheese sandwiches are here. These days, we often make "gourmet" grilled cheese with fancy bread, assorted cheeses and interesting combinations of fillings, like brie and apricot jam.

5. Quesadillas: This dish is a weekly favorite in my home. Just stuff a whole wheat tortilla with plenty of shredded cheese and a filling of beans and sauteed vegetables. Again, the high heat of cast iron contributes intense flavor to this simple dish.

In Spring of last year, I wanted to add to my collection and bought a 10 inch cast iron skillet. If you are new to using cast iron, then this is the pan I would recommend. It is incredibly versatile and the size is just right for a family of 2 to 4. Buying a seasoned pan makes it simple for a beginner to start using it right away. Here are my top 5 uses for this skillet:

1. Sauteed vegetables: I am convinced that most of the reason why some people hate vegetables is because they have not been cooked in a flavorful way. Roasting is one way to get vegetables browned and tasty and a quicker easier way is to cook the vegetables on fairly high heat in a cast iron skillet. I saute vegetables to serve as a quick side dish, to add to grilled cheese and quasadillas (see above) and to add to curries.

2. Bhaaji/Subzi: All of my favorite subzis (Indian stir-fried vegetables), like cabbage, cauliflower-peas and eggplant-lima beans, give me fabulous results with this skillet. I do find that potatoes tend to stick to the pan.

3. Caramelized onions: The easiest way to make a posh meal out of a humble vegetable. Caramelize a bunch of onions and make a dip, put them on pizza or grilled cheese or turn them into soup.

4. Skillet lasagna: After reading this cookbook and discovering that you can indeed cook tomato-based dishes in cast iron cookware, I made skillet lasagna with great results- simple saute vegetables like onion, peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, add pasta sauce, broken lasagna noodles and cheese- ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan- and cover and cook for a tasty one dish meal.

5. Rice dishes turn out beautifully- I've already posted a mushroom pulao, had great results with this recipe for cheesy rice, and my all-time favorite breakfast dish, poha, is wonderful when made in the cast iron skillet.

Tomato, black bean soup's on and it's sure to satisfy

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:55:25 GMT

There's a reason that easy, healthful, satisfying soups are a reliable standard for busy winter weeknight meals. They make a savory meal in a bowl that can easily be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen. In fact, soup is one of those dishes that is even better the next day.

The "secret ingredient" for the deep flavor of this one isn't an ingredient at all — it's a simple cooking method. Roasting the tomatoes, garlic and onions intensifies flavors and brings out their sweetness. It's easy — just toss everything on a baking tray with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and pop it in the oven for about 40 minutes.

Besides boosting flavor, the roasting process also concentrates the tomatoes' lycopene, an antioxidant that helps keep your heart and skin healthy, and the touch of olive oil helps the body absorb the nutrient better.

The vegetables are then simmered in a cumin- and chili-laced broth for more flavor, then puréed with black beans, which makes it thick and hearty and adds filling protein and fiber.

Cozy Tomato Spinach Soup

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:47:11 GMT

Wintertime is a nice time to cozy up and eat soups, making you feel all warm inside. This soup is delicious! It has a rich tomato flavor with a touch of parmesan – although the cheese is optional. Fresh spinach adds a wonderful texture and quinoa macaroni makes it healthy and fun!

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup sweet onion, chopped
½ teaspoon garlic, fresh minced
¼ teaspoon oregano flakes
¼ teaspoon basil
¼ teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons salt
dash pepper
3 tablespoons red wine of choice or substitute*
6 cups water
2 cups crushed tomatoes, canned** or homemade
2 cups marinara sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste or homemade
¼ cup quinoa macaroni noodles or macaroni of choice
4 cups fresh baby spinach, cleaned
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons palm sugar*** or sugar of choice
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, powdered or grated
4 tablespoons Optional, parmesan cheese, shredded

In soup pot, sauté onions in oil until tender, add garlic half way thru cooking. Add seasonings.
Add red wine, allow pot to simmer for three minutes.
Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, marinara sauce and water.
Bring to a boil and add macaroni. Lower to a simmer, stirring well so macaroni doesn’t stick. Simmer until macaroni is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add spinach and continue to cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.
Stir in vinegar and sugar and parmesan cheese.

**Cans BPA free: Foods in steel cans coated with a baked on oleoresinous C-enamel that does not contain the endocrine disrupter chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA). Oleoresin is a non-toxic mixture of an oil and a resin extracted from various plants such as pine or balsam fir.

***Palm sugar is made from the sap of a sugar palm tree (also called date palm). Coconut sugar comes from the buds of coconut tree flowers. They are two different types of sugars, but sometimes you can find a combination of both. Both are natural sweeteners that come from trees and are collected as sap — like North American maple syrup. The sap is then boiled in enormous vats to create either a sugar paste (sold in jars or tins) or rock-like chunks of sugar also known as “jaggery.” (Jaggery can be made from cane sugar as well – it just means the solid, rock-like form of sugar.) I use both palm and coconut sugar in my kitchen. It’s packaged in bags and looks like brown sugar.

Water, diet beverages cut extra kilos

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:34:33 GMT

New Delhi: Replacing calorie-laden beverages with water or diet soft drinks can help people lose 4 to 5 pounds, health experts say.

In a new study, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers compared weight loss for 318 overweight or obese people, who were divided into three groups: those who switched from calorie-laden beverages to diet soft drinks; those who switched to water; and those who were not counselled to change beverages but received general information about healthy choices that could lead to weight loss.

All three groups attended monthly group sessions and had access to a group-specific website for 6 months. "Substituting noncaloric beverages - whether it`s water, diet soft drinks or something else - can be a clear and simple change for people who want to lose or maintain weight," said study author Deborah Tate, Ph.D., associate professor of nutrition and of health behavior at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. "If this were done on a large scale, it could significantly reduce the increasing public health problem of obesity," Tate explained.

Tate and colleagues undertook the study to provide scientific evidence of whether eliminating calories from beverages is an effective weight loss tool that health-care providers and nutritional counselors could recommend. All three groups experienced small reductions in weight and waist circumference during the 6-month study.

However, people who switched to calorie-free beverages were twice as likely to lose 5 percent or more of their body weight than those who were not counselled to change beverages. People in the group who drank mostly water had lower fasting glucose levels and better hydration levels than the control group.

Tate said that that percentage of weight loss and lower blood sugar levels were important because they are associated with clinical improvements in risk factors for obesity-related chronic diseases.

The study also noted that while participants` weight loss was less than reductions observed in more intensive, clinic-based behavioral lifestyle modification programs, the UNC study required minimal self-monitoring and prompted people to change just one aspect of their diets (beverages) - an approach consistent with other findings recommending small but potentially more sustainable lifestyle changes that people can make to improve their health.

"Substituting specific foods or beverages that provide a substantial portion of daily calories may be a useful strategy for modest weight loss or weight gain prevention," Tate said. "Beverages may be ideal targets, but keep in mind, the strategy will only work if the person doesn`t make up for the lost calories some other way," the researcher added.

The finding has been published online and is scheduled to appear in the March 2012 print issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Chilli Soup: Counting Kids Count Day

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:30:35 GMT

Don’t call me a number cruncher, but there were some interesting facts and figures coming from Kids Count Day on Sunday at IVC High School. The day is when the Chillicothe Optimist Club returns the investment residents gave to them when they went to see a movie at Town Theatre.

The cool thing is that residents directly control how much money returns to children’s non-profit groups by their attendance at the theater, which is owned by the Optimists. The word apparently is out as residents returned more ticket stubs this year than last year (3,581 last year compared to 7,131 this year).

Even with an extra $2,000 of profit to share with the group, each ticket stub was worth less this year ($1.68 compared to $2.79 last year). Since the amount of profit is divided by the number of ticket stubs returned, the amount each stub is worth will change every year.

What didn’t change this year is Pearce Community Center placed second in ticket stub collecting — and earned about $100 less this year. But that didn’t matter as the board approved PCC?Director Ben Alvarez to return the money to the Optimists to begin their digital projectors’ fund. Last year’s No. 1 group, Chillicothe Christian Church, became the third group in funds raised this year, and South School PTA?took the lead.

Cooking with Lauren: Irresistible buffalo chicken meatballs

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:37:14 GMT

Don’t get mad … but I made another buffalo chicken dish. I know I just wrote a column about Buffalo Chicken Dip in January, but if you took the time to make that, then you will completely understand why I had to make another buffalo chicken meal.

Since I’m the most boring person in the world, my big plan for the weekend was to watch the Grammy’s on Sunday with my two cats, Wrigley and Sasha Fierce, and I needed something to munch on while grading the dresses on the red carpet.

Maybe some of you snack on chips and candy. But me? I snack on chicken. My go-to snack is usually chicken nachos or buffalo chicken dip, but I had some extra time Sunday so I decided to try something different.

But nothing too different – I still needed my chicken fix, you know. So I went to my computer and perused Foodgawker. If you don’t know what Foodgawker is and you love to cook (and you must if you’re reading my column. Either that or you’re my mother – hi Mom!), go to your computer right now and type in foodgawker.

It’s a website that gathers recipes from food blogs into one place, and you can view them by which ones were most “favorited” that past week or month. It’s a great place to get new recipes because most of the blogs give step-by-step instructions with photos so it’s super easy to follow.

Anyway, I was on Foodgawker and saw a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Meatballs. I knew I had to make them when I started drooling on my laptop. But then I clicked on the recipe and it looked like a lot of work. Plus, it asked for Sriachi sauce instead of buffalo sauce, and I just thought that was wrong.

So I looked at a few other recipes to get an idea of how these were made and took a few steps from each to make my own recipe.

Here are the ingredients you need to make Buffalo Chicken Balls:

1 pound of ground chicken
4 T of olive oil
1/3 cup of buffalo sauce (I used Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce, but if you can’t find that, regular hot sauce will work just as well)
¼ cup of butter
half a sweet onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ cup of cream cheese
1/3 cup of bleu cheese crumbles
2 t of chopped parsley (I use the dried chopped parsley you find in the “spices” aisle at the grocery store. If you use fresh parsley, use 2 T)
1 egg
1 1/4 cup of bread crumbs
Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle 2 T of olive oil onto baking sheet.
In a small saucepan, mix the buffalo sauce and butter. Heat while stirring occasionally (shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat the other 2 T of olive oil on a large skillet, then add the garlic and onion. Cook until the vegetables start to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
Mix chicken, cream cheese, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley and bleu cheese crumbles in a large bowl.
Add vegetables and mix. Add sauce and butter and mix again.
Roll into 1-inch size balls. Use your hands or an ice-cream scoop. Place balls on prepared baking sheet (don’t worry about the balls touching).
Pop them in the oven and cook for about 22-25 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through.
Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes, then serve.
The recipe made about 20 balls, so this lasted me three days. I had my snack on Sunday, then added a side item and had these for dinner Monday and Tuesday. I served them with mac ‘n’ cheese Monday and a baked potato Tuesday.

You can also adjust this to your liking. Take out the veggies and decrease the bread crumbs for a meatier ball, or add more veggies to make it more chunky. I saw a few recipes that added chopped celery to this but I didn’t have any in my fridge so I didn’t use it.

This may be my new staple food for parties or whenever I’m asked to bring a dish somewhere. They’re not messy at all and have so much flavor. I first thought to dip these in ranch and bleu cheese dressing, but then I realized I was masking the buffalo flavor and stopped. To me, they tasted so much better without dipping them in something.

This may also be my new “comfort food.” I think I had eight of these as my Grammy “snack.” I know this wasn’t the healthiest thing to make, but when it’s cold out, you can hear the wind blowing and you’re just happy to be snuggled up all nice and warm on your couch, the last thing you want to eat is a salad.

And let’s face it: it’s baggy-sweater season. Eat as much of these as you want. You can hide it – you got a few more months until it’s tank-top season.

Recipe: Sweet Onion Soup

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:27:53 GMT

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 pounds sweet onions, such as Walla Walla, Maui, Vidalia or Mayan, cut into thin slices

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

12 ounces beer, preferably a slightly sweet one such as a Belgian ale or wheat beer (may substitute a hard cider)

4 cups homemade or no-salt-added chicken broth

1. Heat the oil in a 5-quart pot, preferably one that's wide and not too tall, over medium heat. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are completely soft, adjusting the heat as needed so the onions do not brown.

2. Add the butter, stirring to incorporate as it melts. Increase the heat to medium-high; add the beer. Once it comes to a boil, cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the beer has reduced by half. Stir in the broth, then cover the pot and reduce the heat so the liquid barely bubbles at the edges. Cook for 25 minutes, stirring a few times, then taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

3. Divide the soup among individual serving bowls. Serve right away.

Note: Onion soups traditionally are served topped with a thick slice of French bread and a generous blanket of melted cheese, which often overwhelms the soup's flavor.

Serve this soup with a lightly toasted slice of bread on the side, topped with melted cheddar cheese.

Pairings: Hearty Split Pea Soup

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:59:54 GMT

I knew the Gigondas tasting was coming up, so when I spotted a Domaine du Gour de Chaulé at Freemans Restaurant on the Lower East Side, I ordered it, not knowing it would be in the tasting. The game on the menu provided an open invitation to the red from the Southern Rhône.

But what I did not expect was how well the wine complemented my first course, a bowl of thick, mellow split pea soup. The soup’s whisper of meaty smoke and brambly fragrance of thyme clinched its rustic ties to the wine. The restaurant’s recipe is easy and copious. (The soup freezes well.) Look for split peas that have a use-by date on the package and are relatively fresh; they will cook faster and better.

Hearty Split Pea Soup

Adapted from Freemans Restaurant

Time: About 2 hours

1 pound slab bacon in 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and sliced thin
Salt and black pepper
1 pound dried green split peas, rinsed and picked over
4 bay leaves
3 quarts chicken stock
1/2 bunch fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems.
1. Dice bacon into 1/4-inch cubes. Place in a heavy 6-quart pot over medium-low heat. Cook until fat is rendered and translucent. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook until onion and garlic are soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Add split peas, stir to coat with fat, and add bay leaves and stock. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so soup simmers. Skim foam that rises to the surface for about 10 minutes, until no more appears. Add thyme leaves. Simmer uncovered about 1 hour or longer, until peas are soft and starting to fall apart.

3. Remove soup from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Purée soup in a food processor in several batches, short of perfect smoothness; you should be able to spoon up some texture. Reheat soup, skimming off any foam. Stir from the bottom to mix well, then ladle into bowls and serve.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

Phantom Gourmet: Minestrone Soup Taste Test

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:40:59 GMT

BOSTON (CBS) – The Phantom Gourmet recently purchased four cans of minestrone soup at a local supermarket for a taste test. The contenders were Amy’s, Campbell’s, Progresso, and Wolfgang Puck. Campbell’s finished in last place. This condensed soup just didn’t stand a chance. It was way too watery and completely flavorless. Maybe if Phantom ignored the directions and added way less water, this soup might have measured up.

A big step up from there was Progresso. This hefty can boasts a full serving of vegetables in every bowl, and with the biggest chunks in the bunch, it certainly delivers. The addition of spinach gives a rustic earthy feel, but in the end Progresso just tastes too canned.

The runner-up is Amy’s. This organic entry is rich and thick with tons of veggies and noodles in every spoonful. Unfortunately the pasta was mushy, and the broth was overwhelmed by so much onion flavor phantom could barely taste anything else.

At the top of the food chain is Wolfgang Puck. This celebrity chef is more than just a pretty face; he actually makes some seriously good soup. The broth was well balanced, tasting like it was slow-simmered for hours. And the pasta and beans stayed firm, giving this soup a wonderful contrast of textures.

Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:02:59 GMT

At the start of every year I resolve to start utilizing my weekends to prepare foods for the week, or to stock the freezer, and this year is no exception, especially with baby on board. However, this year I have more realistic expectations for myself – I know I won’t spend 1 day a weekend, or even every weekend doing this, so why set myself up to break my resolution in 2 weeks?! Basically I just want to be less lazy on the weekends and actually think ahead and prep when I get home from the store, take advantage of crappy weather to make a few freezer meals, etc.

When menu planning for the week I had to think of where to start with my resolution. Well, I am sick of leftovers for lunch and have been wanting Chicken Noodle Soup so why not start there? I like the recipe I’ve used in the past, but it’s just been missing something. When searching on foodgawker I saw a fantastic looking picture from Smells Like Home that turned out to be a Barefoot Contessa recipe so I knew I couldn’t go wrong.

This recipe was everything I love about Chicken Noodle Soup, except it was homemade! I love lots of celery and carrots in my soup, and by using all white meat chicken and whole grain noodles I made it even healthier! The best part though was that it was quick and it freezes well! The soup makes a great workday lunch, or companion to a grilled sandwich.

Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 1/2 cup medium-diced celery (3 stalks)
1 1/2 cup medium-diced carrots (4-5 carrots)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Quarts chicken stock
3 cups wide egg noodles
3 cups cooked chicken, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the celery, carrots, salt and pepper and cook for 10-12 minutes until softened.

Pour in the stock, bring to a boil over high heat, and add the noodles. Cook the noodles for 10 minutes, then add the chicken and parsley. Allow the chicken to heat through. Serve hot.