Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Slow cook the soup base
- Add chicken thighs, sliced carrots, sliced celery, diced onion, minced garlic, diced tomatoes, drained cannellini beans, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, dried basil, and red pepper flakes to the slow cooker. Stir to combine, then spread everything into an even layer.
- Cook on Low for 6-8 hours until the chicken is very tender and easily pulls apart with gentle pressure, or cook on High for 3-4 hours until tender. Keep the lid closed throughout for best heat retention.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it with forks, then return the shredded chicken to the pot. Stir so the chicken is evenly distributed through the tomato-broth.
Cook noodles and finish
- Set the slow cooker to High and add the ditalini or egg noodles. Cook for 20-30 minutes until tender, stirring once halfway through so noodles cook evenly.
- Stir in fresh spinach and cook for 5 minutes on High until wilted and bright green. Turn off the heat after it wilts to avoid overcooking.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with parmesan shavings and fresh basil on top.
Notes
For best texture, cook the noodles during the final 20-30 minutes on High so they don’t turn mushy in the slow cook. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3-4 days; freeze up to 2 months (freeze soup without adding extra noodles, if possible, then add fresh noodles when reheating). For a lighter option, use whole-wheat or lentil-based noodles and reduce parmesan topping to 2-4 tbsp total per pot serving.
