Chicken Noodle Soup goes to Mexico!

What can I say about chicken noodle soup.... BORING! To be honest, I'm not much of a soup/stew/chilli person in general but every once in a while the mood hits me and I want something warm and comforting on a cold and rainy night. Instead of making the same old boring chicken noodle soup, I decided to add in a hint of mexico with a little bit of spice, and a big punch of flavor!

What You Need:

2 chicken breast, about 1lb, cut into bite sized pieces

1 large onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 large carrots, diced

3 stalks of celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

a big pinch of red pepper flakes

2 tsp cumin

2 tbs olive oil

salt and pepper

1 (28oz) can coarse crushed tomatoes (regular crushed is fine too)

3-4 cups chicken stock

1/2lb fresh cheese filled tortellini or mini ravioli

2 tbs chopped cilantro

Shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream are optional

What To Do:

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil and the red pepper flakes together over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the veggies: onions, pepper, carrots, celery and garlic; along with a generous pinch of salt and lots of black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes to soften the veggie and then add in the chicken and cumin. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is about 1/2 way cooked. Add in the crushed tomatoes and the chicken stock. Stir well and taste adding more salt and pepper if you'd like. Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer at least 20 minutes but I like to let it simmer for about a hour. Bring the heat back up to medium and once you have a good bubble going on, add in the pasta. Give it a stir and put the cover back on, letting it cook for another 5-10 or until the pasta is cooked through. Stir in the cilantro and serve with shredded cheddar and sour cream if you'd like. You can also easily double the recipe to freeze for later. Just don't add in the pasta or cilantro until you're ready to serve it.