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Dana Ketter

Hearty Garden Soup

A nourishing meal to ease the changing of seasons.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 8 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Pioneer
Calories: 351
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz Organic Chopped Kale 4-5 packed cups
  • 3 lbs Sweet Potatoes cubed
  • ¾ lbs Organic Carrots sliced
  • 1 lbs Free Range Chicken Breast cubed
  • 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 64 oz Free Range Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • 32 oz Drinking Water 4 cups
  • 2 each Bay Leaf
  • 1 tbsp Garlic minced
  • 1 tsp Ground Thyme dried
  • ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • ½ tsp Onion Powder
  • ½ tsp Oregano dried

Equipment

  • stock pot, knife, peeler, cutting board, ladle, measuring cup

Method
 

  1. In large stock pot add chicken broth, 2 cups of water, and 2 bay leaves - bring to a slow simmer.
  2. Add cubed sweet potatoes and sliced carrots. Cook on low with the lid on for about one hour. This helps prevent the broth from evaporating and allows the root veggies to flavor the broth.
  3. In a skillet, cook the cubed chicken breast in olive oil with desired spices. Feel free to add additional spice - just avoid adding more salt.
  4. Add chopped kale - cut to desired size. (I typically wash the pre-cut kale and don’t chop it because I enjoy chunky soups and the kale gets cooked well in this recipe, so I’m not eating crunchies.) Alternatively, purchasing whole-leaf kale and removing the stems my be your jam.
  5. Add cooked chicken breast. Cook with the lid off on medium-low for another 20-30 minutes, or until kale is ready.

Notes

WHOLE RECIPE:
Total Calories - 2,672  .  Total Cost - $13.1  .  Grade - B  .  *Monthly Cost - $589
Programming Notes: Check out our Savvy Alternates table below.
Time-crunch tip: strip the meat off of a pre-cooked chicken and add this directly to the soup, along with the spices. While it's not free range, a Costco or Sam's Club chicken for $5 just might save your meal prep.
Longer Route - cook a whole organic chicken or turkey: use some of the meat for the soup and boil the bones for a big bonus: bone broth -- a micro-nutrient rich alternative to store-bought broth! Not to mention all the meat leftover.
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*This refers to the monthly grocery bill if TWO PEOPLE ate cumulatively 4,000 Calories per day, and only ate this meal all month long. If you're running calculations for ONE person - divide the monthly cost in half.