Pasta Soup With Chicken Vegetables (Printable Version)

Hearty soup with tender chicken, pasta, and fresh vegetables—perfect for warming family dinners in 50 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
03 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
04 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
07 - 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
08 - 1 cup frozen peas
09 - 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
10 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

→ Pasta

11 - 1 cup small pasta shapes such as ditalini or elbow macaroni

→ Liquids and Oil

12 - 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
13 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Seasonings

14 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
15 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
16 - 1 bay leaf
17 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery, sautéing for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Add minced garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in chicken cubes and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until lightly browned but not fully cooked through.
04 - Add zucchini, green beans, diced tomatoes with juices, thyme, basil, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine.
05 - Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
06 - Add pasta and peas to the pot. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes until pasta reaches al dente texture and chicken is cooked through.
07 - Remove and discard bay leaf. Stir in fresh parsley and adjust seasoning as needed.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls and serve hot, optionally garnished with extra parsley or grated Parmesan.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour, which means weeknight dinner doesn't feel like a production.
  • The chicken stays tender because it finishes cooking in the broth, and the pasta soaks up all those savory flavors without falling apart.
  • You can use whatever vegetables are in your crisper drawer and it somehow always works.
02 -
  • Don't cook the pasta all the way in a separate pot first; it needs to finish cooking in the broth so it absorbs flavor instead of tasting like plain carbs.
  • The moment you add the frozen peas, set a timer because they only need a few minutes and overcooked peas turn gray and mushy instead of staying bright and tender.
03 -
  • Use good chicken broth because it's doing most of the heavy lifting flavor-wise, and a mediocre broth will make the whole soup feel flat no matter what else you do.
  • Don't walk away once you add the pasta; the difference between perfectly cooked and mushy is sometimes just two minutes, and you're right there anyway.
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