Chicken Vegetable Soup

How can you go wrong with chicken and vegetable soup?  Healthy, low-fat, high protein, and all the comfort you can stand for one meal.  I used pastina for the pasta in this dish... they are the tiniest little stars that you could imagine.  You can use whatever pasta you choose.  Brown rice instead of pasta would be a good alternative, too.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

1/2 onion, diced

2 carrots, coarsely grated

1 carrot, sliced

3 ribs celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed

32 oz. chicken broth

1/2 cup frozen peas

2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

2 T tomato paste

1/2 cup pasta

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Coat with a little olive oil and roast in a 350 F degree oven for 30 minutes, or until tender.  Remove from oven, and with two forks, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Saute onion, grated carrots, celery and garlic in olive oil until tender.  Add chicken broth; bring to a boil.  Add tomato paste and pasta, turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add shredded chicken and peas.  Bring to a boil.  Turn off heat and serve with a garnish or parsley and crusty, toasted bread.