Roasted Vegetable-Rosemary Chicken Soup

Category Winner--Salads and Sides. "This hearty soup has a wonderful flavor because the vegetables are roasted first, which caramelizes and intensifies the taste." -Bev Jones, Brunswick, MO

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 1  cup  (1-inch) cubed carrot
• 1  cup  (1-inch) cubed onion
• 1  cup  coarsely chopped mushrooms
• 1  cup  (1-inch) pieces celery
• 1  cup  (1-inch) pieces red bell pepper
• 2  tablespoons  extravirgin olive oil
• 1  cup  water
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 4  (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  pound  skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2  cups  uncooked whole wheat rotini pasta

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; drizzle with oil, and toss well to coat. Arrange vegetable mixture in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan lined with foil. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally.

Combine water and next 5 ingredients (through chicken) in a large Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Add roasted vegetables; simmer 30 minutes. Bring soup to a boil. Add pasta; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

176 (25% from fat)

Fat:

4.8g (sat 0.8g,mono 3g,poly 0.7g)

Protein:

17.9g

Carbohydrate:

15.5g

Fiber:

2.3g

Cholesterol:

33mg

Iron:

1.5mg

Sodium:

450mg

Calcium:

45mg