CrockPot Chicken Noodle Soup

Recipe name:
source: adapted from Weight Watchers
servings: 4
Cookbook date: November 8

Chicken Noodle Soup

3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped

2 medium stalks celery, chopped

1/2 of 1 medium onion, chopped

3 cans chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 small bay leaves

10 ounces frozen green peas -- (1 pkg.)

6 oz angel hair pasta or spaghetti noodles, broken in half.

Put frozen chicken breasts in microwave. Cook on full power for 5 minutes to allow the chicken to thaw and mostly cook. Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients (except peas and pasta) in a CrockPot. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. It is ok if it is not cooked all the way through at this point. Add the chicken to the CrockPot, cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Add the peas and noodles and cook 10 minutes longer, or until noodles are al dente.

Tim and I thought this was a super yummy and easy to make chicken soup recipe. It had plenty of flavor, and the veggies were a great addition (I've always been a chicken soup purist, so adding celery and peas was like a walk on the wild side for me)! The only thing I would change next time is that I would add the peas 15 minutes before dinner time, and the pasta 10 minutes before dinner time. Adding the peas 10 minutes before didn't give them quite enough time to cook.

This makes enough to feed 4, and since we are a family of 2, we had it again as leftovers and loved it just as much the second time.

Crockpot Meatball Taco Soup

Recipe Name: Crockpot Meatball Taco Soup
source: no idea
servings: 4
Cookbook date: May 5
Date prepared: May 14

16 oz package frozen Italian meatballs
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14 oz) cans beef broth
1 (16 oz) jar salsa
1 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 cup short spiral pasta
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Combine meatballs, onion, green pepper, garlic, beef broth, salsa, chili powder and cumin in a 3-4 quart Crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours. Add pasta, stir well, cover and cook on low and additional hour or until pasta is tender. sprinkle with cheese and serve. 4-6 servings.

I made this without the green bell pepper and I cut the onion amount in half. I also used 1 can of beef broth and 1 can of vegetable broth. The next time I make it I will do 2 cans of vegetable broth because the dish was just too beefy for our taste. I would also recommend only topping individual bowls with cheese rather than the whole thing . That way, everyone can choose how much cheese they want. I should also note that I forgot to add the chili powder and the cumin until the last hour, but that didn't really seem to matter. The pasta only needed about 20 minutes, and not an hour as directed.

Rarely have I had success with CrockPot recipes, even though I so desperately want them to work. Who doesn't like the concept of throwing a bunch of stuff into a pot and having it transform into a delicious meal when you get home from work? Unfortunately, 90% of the CrockPot meals I have tried have either burned by the time I got home, or turned into a gross pile of mush.
With some tweaking, this dish will actually turn out to be a winner, saving my CrockPot from the donation pile!

expense: ***
time: * (but remember, all the work is done while you are away)
taste: **