Soup-er Saturday

Broccoli and Chicken Noodle Soup



Ingredients

Cooking Spray

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup presliced mushrooms

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons butter

1.1 ounce all-purpose flour (about 1/4 cup)

4 cups 1% low-fat milk

1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

4 ounces uncooked vermicelli, broken in to 2-in pieces {I used angel hair pasta}

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded light processed cheese (such as Velveeta Light) {I just used the block of Velveeta - couldn't find it shredded and didn't want to shred it myself}

4 cups (1-inch) cubed cooked chicken breast

3 cups small broccoli florets (8 ounces)

1 cup half-and-half

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper {I found this to be too much and will do 1/2 next time}

3/4 teaspoon salt



Directions
Heat Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, mushrooms and garlic to pan; saute 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; add butter to mushroom mixture, stirring until butter melts. Sprinkle mushroom mixture with flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gradually add milk and broth, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 10 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Add pasta to pan; cook 10 minutes. Add cheese to pan, and stir until cheese melts. Add chicken and remaining ingredients to pan; cook 5 minutes or until broccoli is tender and soup is thoroughly heated. Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Want more great soup recipes? Hurry over to A Listmakers Life for this final installment of Soup-er Saturday, with the warm weather around the corner Katie is switching to Saturday Salads soon!