Chicken, Butternut Squash, and Orzo Soup
Stepped-up chicken noodle soup with sweet butternut squash, herby sage, and orzo pasta.
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 430kcal
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 3 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 4 sprigs fresh sage, finely chopped
- 2 cups water
- 8 cups chicken stock (see note)
- 1 cup orzo pasta (dry)
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (see note)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To a large soup pot over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion and butternut squash. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, until the onions are softened but not brown. Add the fresh sage and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the water and simmer (adjust the heat, if needed, so that the water is gently boiling) until the squash is tender, 7-8 minutes.
- While the squash is cooking, bring another small pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orzo pasta just until tender. Drain and divide orzo between four serving bowls.
- When the squash is tender, add chicken stock and shredded chicken to the soup. Bring to a simmer and add salt and pepper, as needed. Ladle soup over orzo in prepared bowls. Serve immediately.
Notes
To make the chicken and stock from scratch, I simmer a whole (3ish pound) chicken in a stockpot with about 12 cups of water, 1 chopped carrot and 1 onion cut into quarters for about 1-1.5 hours. When the chicken is cooked, take it out of the stock, shred the meat and toss it with some salt and pepper (discard the bones). Strain the stock and discard the carrot and onion. Et voila - continue with the recipe as above!
Nutrition
Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 770mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g