Easy Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredient Notes:

Evaporated Milk: If you don't have any evaporated milk on hand, you can also use regular milk - the soup will just be a little less thick/creamy. I recommend whole milk, but a lower percentage fat will work (but be even less rich). You can also do half and half or a mix of milk and heavy cream.

Dried onion and garlic powder: I know there's always a few people who get upset about these, and ask why they can't use fresh... Well, you absolutely can in this recipe! Chop an onion and mince some garlic and lightly sauté them in the melted butter before adding the flour to continue with the recipe as written. I choose to use powdered here because it's much faster when I'm already running behind, and my kids... Refuse to eat bits of onion.

Frozen Vegetables: Many blends work well, but I most recommend a California or Country blend, or soup vegetables. My blend has corn, peas, carrots and cauliflower. I think it's creatively named "mixed vegetables".

Chicken: Chicken thighs work well in this soup, too. I prefer skinless for soup, and it will take longer to cook - about 35 to 40 minutes.

Cooking Tips:

In case you need to thicken your chicken noodle soup further: If your soup isn't thick enough to your liking once it's done, combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2-3 tablespoons cold milk to make a slurry. Slowly stir this into the simmerig soup, only adding as much as you need to reach your perfect consistency.

Make Ahead Instructions:

Soup is a great meal to make ahead. But if you're planning to cook this for later, make sure you don't add the pasta until right before serving - otherwise it will continue to absorb liquid, making the pasta mushy and the soup dry.

Let the soup cool enough so it stops steaming (it may spoil other contents of your fridge if you refrigerate it hot!), then refrigerate without a lid in shallow containers to encourage faster chilling. Once cold, cover tightly with lids and eat within 2-3 days.R

Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until steaming hot all the way through. You may need to add some extra broth if the soup is too thick after it has been in the fridge.

Freezer Instructions:

I recommend freezing the soup and pasta separately, then combining them before serving.

Let the soup cool enough so it stops steaming, then refirgerate in shallow containers to encourage faster chilling. Once cold, you may transfer it to a single freezer-friendly container, label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months) and freeze.

For ease, you can also pre-cook and freeze the pasta in a separate container.

To reheat, defrost the soup and pasta separately in the fridge overnight. Reheat the soup on the stove until bubbly and steaming hot all the way through. Stir in teh defrosted pasta and cook for 4-5 minutes, until heated all the way through.

Note: If you're wondering about cooking and re-freezing frozen vegetables, the USDA says it's OK here. If you're not comfortable with it, that's completely fine! Just use a refrigerated vegetable mix or chop your own, and cook them the entire time with the chicken.