Copy Cat Chicken Noodle Soup

So I've fallen ill with a cold and I was craving some Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. The only thing is, being 32 now makes you think twice about shoveling all of that sodium into your gullet. 

Internet to the rescue! I found a copy-cat recipe and was super happy with the results!

The recipe called for chicken stock, but I had a Cornish hen in the freezer, so decided to make my own stock. I'll definitely do that again, though I totally keep some boxed stock in the pantry to reheat the soup (the noodles sometimes soak up more stock than you're expecting!). 

You Will Need:

For the stock-

1 Cornish Game Hen, innards removed

1 parmesan rind (I have these tucked away in the freezer for stock-making)

1 teaspoon black peppercorn

1 stalk green onion (cut into 3 sections)

1 tablespoon salt

For the soup-

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 box spaghetti noodles, broken into 1-2" pieces

To make the stock, place Cornish hen into a stockpot of water until covered - I used a 5 quart stockpot. Set heat to medium-low and add remainder of stock ingredients. Let simmer for 3-4 hours. Remove hen, let cool. 

In another stockpot, add olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onions and garlic and saute until vegetables soften, a few minutes. With a sieve over the stockpot, pour the stock into the pot through the sieve. While soup is simmering, remove skin from hen and pick meat off the bones, adding the meat to the soup. Add spaghetti and let simmer for another 1-2 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving. 

I think it's the butter that really gives it that Campbell's-soup comfort we're all so familiar with. 

Sure, being sick stinks, but it also gives you an excuse to have this soup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.