It is that time of year again. We’ve watched the leaves change colors and gracefully fall from their branches. And now they colorfully decorate our sidewalks and campus grounds. The cold is starting to creep in and the forecast has officially changed to sweater weather. After walking around campus in the wind and rain, a hot bowl of soup really hits different. 

My personal favorite, and a great soup for culinary novices to learn on, is chicken noodle soup. This soup is great for any college student. With simple, minimal ingredients and a fast prep and cook time, this soup is the perfect recipe to explore, especially during fall. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of chicken broth 

• I usually use 3 cups of low sodium chicken broth for a brothier soup.

• 1 medium-sized carrot diced

• 1 medium-sized celery rib diced

• ¼ cup diced white onion

• ¾ cup of your favorite pasta

• I prefer using medium shells.

• ¾ cup shredded cooked chicken

• I like to buy a small amount of precooked shredded chicken from Albertsons and it works great!

• 1 garlic clove, diced

• ½ teaspoon of oregano

• ⅛ stick of butter

• ½ a lemon

Instructions:

1. Chop your carrots, onion, celery and garlic into small pieces.

2. Add your carrots, onion and celery into a medium-sized pot on medium heat for 5 minutes with your butter. 

3. Add your diced garlic and cook until the garlic is aromatic ~ about 2 minutes. 

4. Add your chicken broth and oregano into the pot. Cover and cook on high heat until the broth boils. 

5. Add your pasta noodles and shredded chicken to the pot and let cook until your noodles are fully cooked. If you’re low on broth, add another cup. 

6. Squeeze your lemon half into the soup. This will completely brighten up your soup and add a level of acidity and freshness to your broth. This is one of my favorite tricks when making chicken noodle soup. 

7. Serve and enjoy!

Cooking and learning new recipes is such a delicious and rewarding experience. This is one of my favorite recipes to make on a cold night and has proven to be a fast, easy recipe to learn and perfect. It’s also been a hit when cooking for friends and roommates. If you’re ever craving a homestyle chicken noodle soup, this recipe is the one for you.