Doctored-Up Chicken Noodle Soup

Melody Smurf caught a cold the last day of our vacation, so we picked up some canned soup for her.  Then she felt well enough to go out and never ate it.  Add that to the stack of leftovers I ended up having to eat through.  Seriously, in only three days, I had enough to keep me going for another three.

As far as stuff to be stuck with, chicken noodle is pretty basic.  Most people keep it in their pantries at all times.  I just stopped buying canned soup years ago because of the salt.  When I turned this one around to read the label, the calories, fat, and other nutrition was reasonable.  It was the salt content that brought me to a screeching halt.  A can was two servings, but only 190 calories.  If you were to eat the whole can, that was 74% of your daily recommended salt intake.  Ouch.  I needed to find a way to stretch this can out over three or four servings.

There are plenty of websites out there with recommendations.  I chose this combination because it was stuff I had on hand.  (Or overgrowing in the garden.)  I just kept throwing stuff in if it looked like it wouldn't make it another week in the fridge.  The tofu was actually a really good idea, with the firm texture resembling a matzoh ball.  The tomato was kind of weird, but worked as a garnish, so it only cooked slightly in the heat of the broth.

Again, this is everything I threw in.  It was all about diluting the salt.  Put in whatever you want.

If you make your own stock, the dishes will pile up

*1/2 C dry chickpeas (or 1 can)
*1 2-serving can Chicken noodle soup
2 C unsalted vegetable or chicken stock
*1 carrot
*1/2 bunch green onion, chopped
*2 Tb medium bulgur
*1/2 package firm tofu
*1 Roma tomato, diced
*1/2 lb fresh arugula

1.  If making garbanzo from dry, soak for at least 12 hours.  Rinse, refill saucepan, and simmer for 2 hours.  Or just open a can and rinse very well to reduce salt.

2.  At the end of the cooking, peel and slice carrot.  Add to the pot and simmer for the last 10 minutes.  Drain everything.

3.  In a large soup pot, combine canned soup, stock, cooked chickpeas and carrots, cut green onion, bulgur, and arugula.  Bring to a simmer.  Once heated, add spoonfuls of the tofu, like dumplings.  Serve hot, garnished with tomato pieces.

Serves 3-4

Difficulty rating  :)