Chunky Chicken Minestrone with Roasted Vegetables
- Yield servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium red onion, cut into l inch pieces
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper and green bell pepper each cut into l inch pieces
- 2 cups eggplant, cubed into 1/2 inch thick pieces, skin on
- 1 cup zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds then rounds quartered
- 1 cup yellow squash, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds then rounds quartered
- 1 cup baby Portobello mushrooms quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 1 to 1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 or 3 -- grinds of black pepper
- 2 cans (14.5 oz.) chicken broth
- 1 can (14.5 oz) Italian Style diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup canned chick peas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup uncooked penne rigate or pennette pasta
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine onion, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, squash, mushrooms and garlic. Drizzle veggies with 1-1/2 tablespoons oil; toss until coated then spread veggies over lined pan. Roast veggies in 425 degrees F. oven 50 minutes, turning veggies twice during roasting. Some veggies will have dark roasted spots.
- During the final 10 minutes of roasting veggies, cook chicken by heating remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to hot in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs; brown each side-about 2 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook turning once until juices run clear then transfer chicken to a cutting board. Season with salt and pepper; let cool 3 minutes then cut chicken into bite size pieces.
- After roasting, transfer veggies to a cutting board. Peel garlic cloves; mince garlic. Roughly chop veggies. Place veggies and garlic into a medium cooking pot. Add chicken broth and tomatoes; cook over medium-high heat until mixture bubbles, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste; stir until blended. Add chicken peas, pasta and chicken to pot. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook covered 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in basil; cook uncovered 10 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese. Serve with hot bread sticks.
Prep time: 15 minutes. Roast/cook time: 1 hr. 50 minutes. Roast second batch of veggies while soup is on. Easy to prepare 2 batches in 3 hrs.
