just me, living here

Actually – no celery, double coccioline chicken soup

It’s almost September, the humidity has finally chilled out, the temperature has dropped ever so slightly, and my brain immediately switched over to Fall Mode. Apparently, everyone else got the memo too because my entire social media feed has been soup this, soup that “Soup on Sundays,” “Soup Season,” “This is my Soup Girl Era” You get the idea. Naturally, that little brainworm dug in, and suddenly, I was craving soup.

Now, I do enjoy soup. I try to make it at least 3–4 times a month because it’s an easy way to whip up a lower-calorie meal that also doubles as lunch for the next few days. Efficiency at its finest.

The thing is, not everyone in my house shares my enthusiasm. My husband is firmly in the no soup camp. Apparently, it is texture nightmare for him.  If it’s called “soup,” he wants no part of it. But if I slyly rebrand it as “hearty stew” or “chili” suddenly, he’s all in. And actually? He LOVES my taco chili. Tomato soup, chicken noodle soup, broccoli cheddar, and my favorite potato soup? Not happening. But I’ll take what I can get.

My daughter, on the other hand, is my soup buddy. She’s a chicken noodle soup girl through and through. Which brings us here.

The funny thing is, I don’t really have a go-to chicken noodle soup recipe. I’m usually a “Google whatever pops up first” kind of cook when it comes to it. But one thing every chicken soup recipe starts with is that famous trio: onions, carrots, and celery. Mirepoix- The holy grail of soup flavor. The gold standard. The culinary handshake that says, Yes, this soup will be fantastic.

Slight problem: I didn’t have 1/3 of the trio- celery. I never have celery. It’s the one vegetable that I never buy. In the past, no celery meant no soup. But this time I was determined.

So, I made what I’m calling:

✨ No Celery Chicken Double Coccioline Soup ✨

(It just rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it? Okay, maybe not. Let’s just stick with “Chicken Soup,” because guess what, it tastes like chicken soup!)

The “double noodle” part? That’s because I didn’t hold back. I went heavy on the coccioline noodles. Those cute little round pasta beads that make every bite cozy and carb-y in the best way. (Also, they are made in Italy- awesome, and two, I bought them at Jungle Jim’s- super awesome!) If we’re skipping celery, we might as well double down on noodles. Balance, right?

As for the recipe… I didn’t really measure anything. I just cooked it with my heart. After 35+ years of cooking, you start to trust your eyeballs and instincts more than a recipe card. Now, if this were baking? Totally different story. I need EXACT measurements with baking anything or it is guaranteed to turn out like garbage. But soup? Soup forgives.

No Celery, Double Coccioline Chicken Soup. Simple as always and absolutely what my not quite fall brain needed.