Chicken, Vegetable and Pasta Soup

I love a good hearty soup and this is no exception.  Very tasty indeed and Monet really loved it!  I found this recipe in my folder of 'ripped-out' recipes.  It was originally in the July 2006 issue of Australian Women's Weekly magazine.

Ingredients

40g butter

1 large carrot, halved, thinly sliced

2 trimmed celery sticks, thinly sliced

1 large leek, halved, sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 bacon rashes, chopped coarsely

500g chicken thigh fillets, sliced thinly

1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock

2 cups (500ml) water

1 cup vermicelli soup pasta (or risoni or stellini)

50g baby spinach leaves

Method

Heat the butter in a large saucepan; cook the carrot, celery, leek and garlic until softened.  Add the bacon, cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add the chicken, cook, stirring, until the chicken is lightly browned.  Add the stock and water, simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.  Add the soup pasta, simmer, covered, for about a further 5 minutes or until the pasta is tender.

Remove from the heat, stir in the spinach.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve topped with parmesan cheese flakes if desired.

Serves 4-6