The Altered Chef When you or a loved one are under the weather, what heals better than a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup?! Without a doubt, we have all at least heard rumors of the healing power of traditional chicken noodle soup. As it turns out, there may be some science to the soup . So, the next time there is a need for a super immune boost, give this feel good chicken tortellini soup a shot. Motivation to cook anything while sick is always dismally low. After all, the last thing anyone wants while sick or caring for others is an extra load of dishes, a complex recipe, or a meal that won’t help us fight off sickness. Rest assured, this one-pot recipe is not only easy, it also includes other common ingredients which may have immune boosting properties. As we all have seen and no doubt observed, illness is common and nothing less than too abundant these days.
With a recent bout of RSV in our household, I found the inspiration to transform traditional chicken noodle into something special for my family. In reality, the recovery phase took long enough that we burned out on chicken noodle soup. Even though I needed to change up the flavor, I still wanted to preserve and even enhance the immune supporting benefits of chicken noodle soup.
So how do we add variety to the bowl? For starters, I use tortellini instead of regular noodles, because we love tortellini and it contains additional protein. “Feed a body, starve a cold”. Likewise, I replaced the celery with spinach for the many, many immune system benefits and to add a healthy change of scenery.
In fact, I even worked with a few common household herbs such as turmeric, sage, thyme, and garlic, all of which are reported to have benefits that strengthen the body’s the immune response. Turns out, these herbs also help to heighten the taste and color of chicken noodle soup.
While I make no claims to this soup having magical healing powers, the warm broth did make us feel much better. Maybe, just maybe, it even sped up our recovery! One day, we may fully understand why chicken noodle soup and other ingredients do or don’t support our health. Until then, the best we can do for ourselves, our families, and communities is TRY our best to help each other. Just maybe that’s as simple as sharing a pot of soup. As always, I love to hear your thoughts in the comments below and I hope you enjoy!
-Simply Enjoy
Recipe Card
Chicken Tortellini Soup
Description
Chicken Tortellini Soup
Chicken Tortellini Soup
Instructions
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Place the chicken broth in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil.
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While the broth is heating up, finely chop (or whatever your preference is) the carrot and cut up the spinach.
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Add the tortellini and boil for 2 minutes. Reduce to medium-high heat. Add the carrots and spinach. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
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Next add the Sage, Thyme, Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and Turmeric. Stir well. Add the chicken. Cook on medium – high heat for 5 minutes.
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Reduce and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Serve and enjoy!