Is there anything more satisfying on a cold day than sitting down to a bowl of hot soup with bread? We had a freeze warning for last night and tonight and I still had some homemade pesto sauce in my freezer so Italian pesto noodle soup was on the menu for dinner tonight.
I love this soup because it is quick and easy, since you use precooked sausage and you can use premade pesto, but it has a ton of flavor! The noodles and sausage make it filling too. It only takes 45 minutes to make. You could definitely use my homemade egg noodles in this and it would be great, but today I used store pasta to be quick. If using store bought, I recommend small pasta shapes in this soup. I used mini shells.
The base for this is chicken broth. I used that with the addition of my favorite chicken powder to amp up the flavor. If using chicken bouillon powder, decrease the salt you add. Shallots, carrots, celery, sage and thyme add extra flavor to the broth in addition to the pesto sauce. If you don’t have shallots you can use onions.
I add kale as well to the soup to bump up the nutritional content. I think it is perfect served with some shredded mozzarella or parmesan on top. Today I served it with some sourdough bread I had in my freezer.
Italian Pesto Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb precooked chicken sausage sliced and browned in a frying pan
- 2 shallots minced
- 4 carrots chopped
- 3 celery ribs chopped
- 1 tsp fresh sage (or dried) chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme (or dried) chopped
- 2 tsp chicken powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1/3 cup pesto
- 2 tbsp grated parm
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 16 oz package frozen kale or fresh
- 1/2 lb small pasta cooked according to package
- salt and pepper to taste
- shredded parm or mozzarella for topping
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high.
- Add the sausage and brown it a bit, then remove with a slotted spoon to some paper towels. Add the shallot, carrot and celery and a pinch of salt and cook until translucent.
- Add the sausage, spices, broth, chicken powder, pesto and lemon juice. Allow to come to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Cook the pasta, drain and run under cold water to keep from sticking.
- Add the kale to the soup and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Add the pasta and the grated parm. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve with the shredded cheese on the side.