We all have struggled to think of something to prepare for our meals. If we haven’t prepped ahead of time and want a meal in a hurry, we end up with a pizza or take out. Even myself, who has all the time in the world, wants something quick most of the time. We have to eat. I like to know what I am eating so I like making my own food.
I have made Hamburger Helper in a jar including the lasagna version. I have jars of side dishes like rice-a-roni and herbed rice, cream soup mixes, vegetable bouillon mix and a variety of freezer meals, but today I made chicken noodle soup mix in a jar. It is so easy to just open a can of high sodium soup but as I have said many times real food is the best tasting and the healthiest. This process does require a little prep work, but I think it’s worth it. I will freeze this batch in individual servings. I don’t really like to freeze soup because the texture changes a little, but it’s what I have to do with leftovers.
This is the recipe. I divided it in half which is enough for 2 jars. I put 1/4 cup of the spices in a plastic ziplock bag and 1/4 cup in another. Then I put 1/2 cup of the dried mixed vegetables* in each bag. I put 1 1/4 cup pasta in the jar with the plastic bag containing the other ingredients. I sealed the lid with the lid sealer.
Chicken Noodle Soup Mix
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. celery seed
1/2 t. black pepper
1 t. parsley flakes
1 T minced onion
4 1/2 T. chicken bouillon*
1 cup dried mixed vegetables**
2 1/2 cups pasta (I like to cook the pasta noodles separately and add them to the soup at the end. I think they are less starchy and it takes a while for the dried vegetables to reconstitute. If you put them in together the noodles would be overcooked.) That is why I separate them in the jar.
Bring 12 cups (6 cups for one jar) water to a boil
add in soup mix from the plastic bag.
Reduce heat, cover and
simmer for 30 minutes.
Add in 3-4 cups of cooked cubed
chicken (I bake several chicken breasts and cube them to use in recipes. I freeze the cooked chicken in 1 or 2 cup portions. Sometimes I buy the rotisserie chicken off the bone at Costco and separate it into portions) and add the cooked noodles.
Simmer 5 more minutes
* This is the bouillon I found. It is gluten free and doesn’t have any high fructose corn syrup. It does have corn protein which is a by-product during the manufacturing process of corn starch. I am not really sure of its function except it is 50% protein and maybe a flavor enhancer. If you want to eliminate this ingredient just cook the dried veggies and other spices in boxed chicken broth instead. You may need a bit more salt to taste.
**If you can’t find dehydrated vegetables, it’s easy to make your own.
I diced 4 cups of carrots with the Vidalia Chop Wizard http://www.thecabincountess.com/search?q=vidalia, and spread them on a parchment lined cookie sheet. I have a dehydrate setting on my toaster oven but basically it’s the oven set at 150 degrees. The carrots took 4 hours to dry. Then I diced 4 cups of celery and did the same. It’s amazing. 4 cups of carrots will dehydrate to 3/4 cup and 4 cups of celery will equal 1/2 cup. I also dried 5 cups of frozen mixed vegetables. That made about 3/4 cup. Bottom line is 13 cups of produce dries to 2 cups.
