Warm up with this simple, delicious and healthy soup! The lower-sodium chicken broth and no-salt-added fire-roasted diced tomatoes help keep the sodium content down, while onion and orange bell pepper add plenty of flavor. With both chicken and pasta, it’s a meal the whole family will love!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

• 1 (14 ounce) can no-salt-added fire-roasted diced tomatoes

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

• 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion

• 1 cup chopped orange bell pepper

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

• ½ teaspoon ground pepper

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 1 bay leaf

• 6 ounces whole-wheat rotini pasta

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine chicken, tomatoes, broth, onion, bell pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, pepper, salt, crushed red pepper and bay leaf in a 4-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on High until the chicken is tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 F, about 3 hours. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Transfer the chicken to a plate; let rest for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, stir pasta into the mixture in the slow cooker; cover and cook on High until the pasta is tender, about 30 minutes.

3. Coarsely shred the chicken and stir it back into the soup, along with basil and parsley. Ladle the soup evenly into 6 bowls; sprinkle with Parmesan and garnish with parsley, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts (per serving):
Calories: 256; Fat: 5g; Carbs: 29g; Protein: 24g

Recipe Card for Slow-Cooker Chicken & Vegetable Noodle Soup

Source: EatingWell