Description

A luxurious, one-pot chicken soup featuring rotisserie chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh spinach, and shell pasta in a creamy, cheesy broth.

Ingredients

For the Soup Base:

½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (the kind in oil with herbs), drained but save that oil
1 tablespoon of that precious sun-dried tomato oil
1½ cups yellow onion, chopped however you like
4 garlic cloves, minced (or use the jarred stuff, no judgment)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 big containers chicken broth (64 oz total)
1 cup heavy cream

For the Seasonings:

4 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped (grab extra for sprinkling on top)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1½ teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (more if you like heat)

For the Good Stuff:

8 ounces shell pasta (the medium ones work best)
3 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed (take this out early!)
1½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated fine (plus more for topping)

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Instructions

1.Build the Flavor Base

Start by heating that sun-dried tomato oil in your biggest pot over medium heat. Toss in the onion and garlic and let them get all soft and smell incredible – takes about 3-4 minutes. My neighbor always knows when I’m making this because the smell travels through our shared wall.

2. Deepen the Flavors

Add the tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes and stir everything around for about 2 minutes. The paste will get darker and smell more intense – that’s exactly what we want. First time I made this, I got nervous about the paste browning, but my aunt told me that’s how you build real flavor.

3. Add the Liquid Stuff

Pour in both containers of chicken broth, then the heavy cream, basil, salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper. Bring it all to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn it down and let it simmer for a few minutes.

4. Cook the Pasta

Dump in the shell pasta. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook it, stirring every now and then, until it’s al dente – about 10-12 minutes. Don’t overcook it because it keeps cooking even after you turn off the heat.

5. The Best Part

Turn off the heat and add the chopped spinach, chicken, cream cheese chunks, and Parmesan. Now you wait about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, while the cream cheese melts and makes everything creamy. This is where the magic happens.

6. Taste and Fix

Try it and add more salt, pepper, whatever it needs. Sprinkle extra basil, Parmesan, or red pepper flakes on top if you want.

Notes

Save some pasta water before you dump it – if your soup gets too thick later, pasta water fixes it right up

Buy the pre-shredded rotisserie chicken to save time (I do this constantly)

Use decent chicken broth, not the cheapest stuff

That sun-dried tomato oil is gold – don’t waste it

Mistakes I’ve Made So You Don’t Have To:

Adding cream cheese while soup was still boiling (looked like chunky milk)

Cooking pasta too long (mushy pasta is the worst)

Not draining the tomatoes well enough (greasy soup, yuck)

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Category: Soup
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American