Chickenless Noodle Soup

Today was one of those days when, after I left the house, I realized I had forgotten to defrost anything. So when I got home this afternoon, I tried to think: What can I cook that tastes like there's meat but requires no defrosting and very little prep time? The answer was Chickenless Noodle Soup! This is so insanely easy, and it was delish!

Chickenless Noodle Soup

Nutritional Information
(for entire pot of soup)

  Calories                       365
   Fat                              6.9g   26%
       Saturated Fat          3.6g
   Cholesterol                15mg
   Sodium                      353.4mg
   Carbohydrates           28.7g    48%
       Fiber                      6.9g
       Sugars                    15.2g
   Protein                       15.8g
   WW Plus Points         6


Ingredients:

-4 stalks celery, chopped
-1 red onion, chopped
-About 15 baby carrots/1 adult carrot, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced/finely chopped
-1 tablespoon chicken bouillon, pref. low sodium (I used Knorr brand)
-8 cups water
-2 ounces dry fettuccine or other wide, flat pasta (not pictured)
-1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil (not pictured)

Put a big stock pot over medium heat, and add your chopped celery and a tiny bit of olive oil (just enough to wet the bottom of the pot). Let the celery cook while you chop up your onion.

Add your freshly chopped onion, and sautee for a few minutes, stirring often so that the onions don't brown. If your pan gets a little dry, add a bit more olive oil so nothing sticks to the bottom.

While your onion is cooking, chop the carrots and garlic. Add the carrots and garlic to your pot and cook until garlic is fragrant.

Then add 8 cups hot water and 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules to your pot and stir until the bouillon is dissolved. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes.

About 10 minutes before the soup is done, break up the pasta and add to the soup. Recover and continue to cook until pasta is al dente.

If you want to add chicken, you can add it in and let simmer with everything else until it's cooked through, but believe me, you won't miss it!

Then just fill up your favorite bowl and enjoy!

This was so delicious, there were no leftovers! This makes 4 big bowls, each about 95 calories and less than 2 WW points. Serve this with cornbread or biscuits, or skip the pasta for an even light version. No matter how you serve this soup, it is delish. Enjoy!

Healthy, Hearty Beef Stew

Well, life has been busy--as always. My wedding anniversary is this month (two years!), and to celebrate we went out of town for a concert. It was a wonderful, loooong weekend (didn't get back home until Wednesday), and the cooler weather this weekend got me excited for fall. That excitement, plus my recent craving for soup, made me think up this recipe.

   Beef Stew

Nutritional Information
(for the entire batch--makes about 4 to 5 big bowlfuls)

   Calories                 555
   Fat                         21.1g
       Saturated Fat     7.9g
   Cholesterol            103.1mg
   Sodium                  1,064.7mg
   Carbohydrates       53.1g   (39%)
        Fiber                 13.7g
        Sugars               28.2g
   Protein                   37.2g
   WW Points            13

Ingredients:

-1/4 lb ground chuck
-1 white or yellow onion
-5 stalks of celery
-a couple of handfuls of baby carrots (I counted 15) or 2 larg carrots
-2 cloves garlic
-1 can diced tomatoes
-2 pinches of dried rosemary (only because I ran out!)
-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
-1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
-1/2 teaspoon powdered beef bouillon (not pictured)
-salt, to taste
I originally was going to make this a rosemary-rich stew, but I ran out of dried rosemary! So at the end, I added the beef bouillon to make the broth a bit richer.

Chop up the onion, and cook the onion and beef in a dutch oven or big stock pot over medium-high heat.

Saute until meat is no longer pink, drain off the fat, and return to the pan.

Chop up the celery and carrots, and mince the garlic, then add to your pot. Stir around and saute until the garlic is fragrant, then add the can of tomatoes (with their juices), pepper, rosemary, and red pepper flakes.

Simmer and stir for about a minute, then add 4 cups hot water and beef bouillon.

Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 30 minutes to an hour--the longer you let this simmer, the more the veggies will suck up the flavors. For more soup, just add more water and let simmer longer.

When it's all simmered down and the veggies are tender, spoon out a big bowlful and serve with some butter-covered sweet yellow cornbread.

This stew hit the spot--the red pepper flakes gave it little extra heat, and the celery and carrots were very filling. One bowl is just under 120 calories and about 3 Weight Watchers points, making this a low-calorie dinner that is extremely satisfying. Enjoy!