When you want chicken noodle soup fast, your Instant Pot will come to the rescue and not heat the kitchen.

Penicillin For Summer Colds

I think it’s been proven scientifically that chicken soup actually does help the common cold.

What’s worse than having a summer cold?

Soup’s Not Just A Cold Weather Thing

I love soup, but always thought of it as a cold weather sort of thing.

Since I got my Instant Pot, my mind has changed a lot on the subject of “cold weather” food in the summer months.

So if you do come down with a summer cold (or not), your penicillin doesn’t have to heat the kitchen and it’s done in a flash too.

Soup Or Stock

Your Instant Pot is great for making quickie soups, but it’s even better for making the soup base–stock.

Here’s where you can use all those chicken wing tips I’ve told you to save. If you cut up whole chickens into parts, here’s where you use that backs and necks.

Lots of bone produces delicious stock, and when stock is made in a pressure cooker, there is lots more flavor than when it is made traditionally. Pressure cooking draws the flavor out of the bone and this is something that conventional cooking cannot do. Even long slow cooking in the crock pot can’t do it.

You can always freeze stock for later use. I’ve heard that some even freeze it in ice cube trays for use in casseroles and skillet dinners. That’s a great idea if you want to portion it out. If you want to make soup with it, then just use the whole tray!

The Recipe

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Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

When you want chicken noodle soup fast, your Instant Pot will come to the rescue and not heat the kitchen.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course: Chicken, pasta, soups

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken, chicken stock, pasta, soups

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 340kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

STOCK

• 2 lbs chicken necks backs or bone-in chicken parts
• 6 cups water
• Handful of celery leaves
• 1 small onion cut in chunks
• 2-3 sprigs fresh dill or 1/2 tsp dried -OR- 1/2 tsp dill seed
• 1 tbsp low-sodium concentrated chicken stock like Better Than Bouillon

ADD INS

• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/2 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup wide egg noodles uncooked

Instructions

• Place chicken in instant pot. Using manual setting, cook for 90 minutes. Let pressure drop naturally.
• When pressure has dropped, strain soup through a fine-mesh strainer or through cheesecloth. After the stock has cooled down, at this point it may be put in containers to freeze for future use. You may skim fat at this point, but I prefer to chill it until the fat congeals as it’s easier to remove.
• Add strained stock back to instant pot and set on Saute, low. Place the celery, carrots and uncooked noodles to the stock.
• Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until noodles are cooked and carrots are tender.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 269mg | Sodium: 572mg | Potassium: 449mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2866IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 3mg

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I’m out here to prove 10 can live as cheaply as one.  OK, I’m joking, but you can reduce your food budget with some creative meals that use meat as a condiment. This is one of them and it’s low cal too.

An Economical Family Dinner

Anyone following my blog knows I took the challenge shopping as if I were on a limited SNAP program budget.  I was actually amazed at the food I could purchase that would adequately feed a family of 4 and for under the amount allotted as well.

Tasty budget dinner

The store had Italian sausage on sale in a bulk package for $1.99 per pound.  I took advantage of this since this was a super price.  A “sale” on Italian sausage is usually $2.99 per pound.  I believe there were 14 or 15 sausages in the package.  If you are feeding 4 for this meal you would only require 4 sausages.

I’m using the green bell pepper I bought in this as well.  I didn’t use all the pepper either–I still have 1/2 left and that’s going in another dish–a well-loved Asian specialty with chicken.  Hint: it’s got orange in it.

I also included a few of the purchased mushrooms here as well, and of course the pasta I purchased that day.  To see pics (some of them are not up to the quality of my food pics–sorry shaky hands with cell phone camera) of my shopping trip may be found on this post.

I had chicken stock on hand and also some diced red bell pepper in the freezer that I made the sauce from.  I also had onion and garlic in the pantry.

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Sausage & Pepper Primavera

I’m out here to prove 10 can live as cheaply as one.  OK, I’m joking, but you can reduce your food budget with some creative meals that use meat as a condiment. This is one of them and it’s low cal too.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: pasta, Pork

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: peppers, primavera, sausage and pasta meals

Servings: 4

Calories: 688kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 4 Italian sausage links
• 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 medium tomato sliced in wedges
• 1 clove garlic minced finely
• 1/2 medium green bell pepper sliced thinly
• 1 small onion thickly sliced
• 1 cup rich chicken stock I used Knorr concentrate, 1/3 of the tub
• 2 tbsp finely diced red bell pepper optional
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups cooked pasta any shape

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sausage links on a rack and set rack in a pan. Bake for 30 minutes, turning sausages after 15 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside to cool slightly.
• When sausages have cooled enough to handle, slice in 1/4-inch slices.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, green pepper, the mushrooms, the garlic and the onion. Saute, stirring or shaking frequently, until the sausage begins to brown and veggies start to brown around the edges.
• Add the chicken stock and optional red bell pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Add tomato wedges.
• Mix cornstarch and 2 tbs water. Add to the sausage mixture and stir frequently until mixture boils. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Serve over hot pasta. Parmesan/Romano cheese is a nice topping.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 688kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 910mg | Potassium: 566mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 457IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 3mg

Sausage & Pepper Primavera

Sausage & Pepper Primavera

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Chicken Soup with Matzoh Balls

This Passover staple is so easy–especially with a pressure cooker for the stock. Surprise!  It’s low calorie too!

I don’t profess to be kosher or even Jewish, but I have long loved this soup. 

I’ve taken to making all my stocks in my electric pressure cooker.  Nothing could be easier.  You just set it and forget it.

The matzoh balls I make come straight off the package of Manischewitz matzoh meal, and there’s nothing complicated about them.  True, you can buy a “mix” but why bother?  All that is is probably matzoh meal anyway where you add all the other ingredients!   It’s always good to have a tin of matzoh meal anyway.  You can use it as breadcrumbs and sometimes it adds a better flavor AND texture than plain breadcrumbs.

So here’s the recipe (and you can make extra stock and freeze it for other uses), and Happy Passover to all my Jewish readers.

Chicken Soup with Matzoh Balls

Stock:

• 4 large chicken leg quarters 
• 1 carrot, cut up
• 1/2 cup celery leaves
• 1 small onion, cut in quarters
• 1/2 tsp dehydrated dill weed or 2 sprigs fresh
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cups water

Place all ingredients in pressure cooker.  Cook on HI or 15 psi for 55 minutes.  Let pressure drop naturally.  Remove lid of pressure cooker and remove chicken with tongs or slotted spoon.  Save this chicken to make chicken salad.


Strain stock through a cheesecloth or fine sieve into a bowl.  Discard vegetables.


Refrigerate until chilled so fat congeals and can be removed easily.

To make stock on the stovetop, place all ingredients in a large stock pot, bring to boil, cover and reduce heat.  Simmer for 2-3 hours, skimming any foam that floats periodically. 


Matzoh Balls:

• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbs oil
• 2 tbs water or chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup matzoh meal

Beat together the eggs, oil water or stock and salt.  Add the matzoh meal and blend well.


Cover and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes.


Meanwhile, bring 6 cups of salted water to a boil in a large pot.  Form 1-inch balls from the matzoh ball mix; drop in boiling water.  Lower heat, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes.  Remove with slotted spoon.


Now For the Soup


Place de-fatted chicken stock in a large pot.  Add matzoh balls and bring to a boil.


Simmer for 20 minutes and serve.


Makes 4 servings.

Chicken Soup with Matzoh Balls

Chicken Soup with Matzoh Balls

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