The temperatures have dropped and winter is well on the way. With less frequent trips to the grocery store and trying to stay on a student budget, it can be hard to think of delicious, filling meals. I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly at a loss for what to make for dinner. So, without further ado, here is the perfect recipe to keep you cozy this fall season: chicken noodle soup. 

My great-grandmother — who recently passed away at 100 years old — made this soup, my grandmother makes this soup, and my mother makes this soup. So I figured that it was my time to make this soup. The recipe was written on an old cue-card in faded ink, and later translated into more-readable English to use for this article. 

I was recently sick at home with the flu, and I wanted nothing more than chicken noodle soup. But there was one major problem: I live alone, so I had no one to go to the store and get it for me. So, I got up out of bed, put on my fuzzy robe, brewed myself some tea, and took matters into my own hands. Luckily, the soup contained ingredients that I already had in my fridge and cupboards, so the hard part wasn’t actually making the soup, but instead trying not to sneeze and cough directly into the pot. When I finished, it was one of the best soups I had ever tried. Now, maybe this was because I hadn’t eaten anything else except for stale crackers for a week, but it still tasted amazing.

Chicken noodle is classic, delicious, and dependable, and I hope that everyone can take time to make and enjoy this soup. If schoolwork has you down, let this recipe pick you up!

What you’ll need:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 cup celery (sliced thin horizontally)

1 cup carrots (peeled and sliced thin into rounds)

2 cups cooked shredded (or cubed) chicken (or cooked potatoes for vegetarians and vegans — diced into large pieces)

6-8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth, add less for fuller, heartier soup and more for brothier soup

5-6 cups egg noodles, rotini pasta, or any other pasta (you can also use gluten free rotini, if you have a gluten allergy or are celiac)

½ teaspoon dried oregano 

1 bay leaf

1-2 teaspoons salt

1-2 teaspoons pepper

Directions:

Add the olive oil to a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add onion, celery, and carrots to the pot and sauté for six to seven minutes. Add in the garlic and sauté for another one to two minutes. 

Add the chicken broth, dried oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper; then bring to a boil. Let this mixture boil for about five minutes. 

Add in the egg noodles, and boil for eight to ten minutes (or slightly longer, if using a heartier pasta like penne). Finally, add in the cooked chicken. If you are vegetarian, or just want an extra addition to the soup, add in the cooked potatoes. 

Serve hot, topped with parsley or shredded parmesan cheese, and maybe even a fresh bun or scone on the side!

The soup yields six to eight servings — but more like four to six if you enjoy giant bowls of soup. The soup will be good for up to a week in the fridge or for a few months in the freezer.