Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup with Cottage Cheese
My Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup with Cottage Cheese is a hearty, comforting bowl of goodness made with tender chicken, fresh veggies, yellow zucchini, and cottage cheese for a nutritious twist. It’s a one-pot wonder perfect for busy weeknights or a cozy meal on cold days.
When you need a warm, comforting meal for busy weeknights or chilly days, my Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup with Cottage Cheese is a go-to favorite. This recipe brings together simple, wholesome ingredients like tender chicken, fresh carrots, celery, onion, and garlic for a classic, hearty soup.
To add a nutritious twist, I’ve included yellow zucchini and cottage cheese, which blend seamlessly into the broth for extra creaminess and protein. It’s a one-pot meal that’s easy to make and packed with flavor. Your family will love how satisfying this soup is, and it’s sure to become a staple in your kitchen, just like it is in mine!
How Does Adding Cottage Cheese to Soup Enhance Its Texture and Nutritional Value?
Adding cottage cheese to soup is a great way to give it a rich, creamy texture without needing heavy cream. It blends in smoothly and adds a subtle, savory flavor that pairs perfectly with the other ingredients. Cottage cheese is also high in protein, so it gives your soup a nutritional boost, making it more filling and satisfying. Plus, it’s a superfood that sneaks in extra nutrients like calcium and B vitamins, all while keeping your soup lighter and healthier. It’s one of my favorite ways to make a simple bowl of soup more nourishing and flavorful!
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
- One-Pot Wonder: Minimal cleanup with everything cooked in one pot, making it perfect for busy nights.
- Nutritious Twist: Cottage cheese and zucchini add creaminess and extra nutrients to the classic chicken noodle soup.
- Family-Friendly: A cozy and filling soup that’s sure to please everyone, even picky eaters.
- Gluten-Free Comfort: All the flavors of traditional chicken soup with gluten-free noodles, making it accessible for those with gluten sensitivities.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here is everything you need to make the best-tasting gluten-free chicken noodle soup with cottage cheese:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast: You can replace it with chicken thighs, leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or any other pre-cooked chicken.
Gluten-Free Egg Tagliatelle Pasta: Substitute with your favorite gluten-free pasta noodles like rice noodles, quinoa noodles, chickpea noodles, or gluten-free egg noodles.
Butter: Replace with a dairy-free alternative like margarine or coconut oil for a dairy-free option.
Chicken Broth: Use homemade chicken broth or replace it with vegetable broth.
Light Olive Oil: Stick with olive oil or use other oils like avocado oil or vegetable oil.
Dried Parsley, Thyme, and Bay Leaves: You can omit or replace them with your favorite fresh or dried herbs, including fresh dill to taste.
Cottage Cheese: You can omit or replace it with cream cheese or sour cream.
Yellow Zucchini: You can omit or replace it with green zucchini.
White Onion: Use any variety of onion you like. Replace with green onions or shallots if you prefer a milder flavor.
Carrots and Celery: You can replace them with your favorite fresh veggies.
Fresh Garlic: You can replace it with dried garlic.
How to Make My Chicken Noodle Soup with Veggies Recipe
Step 1: Prepare the Vegetables
Prepare the fresh vegetables by dicing the white onion, yellow zucchini, carrots, celery, and fresh garlic. Thinly slice the zucchini and carrots so they will cook faster.
Step 2: Prepare the Chicken
Place two boneless, skinless chicken breasts in plastic bags and pound until they’re an even thickness.
Sprinkle both sides with flaky sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and a dash of pepper. Set aside.
Step 3: Saute the Vegetables
In a large pot, sauté diced yellow zucchini, white onion, and garlic in butter until the zucchini is fork tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 4: Brown the Chicken
Add olive oil to the pot, then brown the seasoned chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes on each side.
While the chicken is cooking, combine cottage cheese, sautéed vegetables, and 1/2 cup of chicken stock in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Step 5: Cook the Soup
To the pot of chicken, add gluten-free chicken broth, diced carrots, diced celery, salt, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
Then, remove bay leaves from the pot. Take out the cooked chicken breasts.
Stir the blended cottage cheese and vegetable mixture into the pot. Add pasta noodles.
Shred the chicken, return it to the pot, and cook for an additional 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
Spoon into a soup bowl and enjoy!
Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe Notes
Chicken Seasoning: Pounding the chicken first to an even thickness tenderizes the meat and helps it cook through quickly. It also provides more surface area for seasonings which enhances the flavor.
Vegetable Camouflage: Blending the cottage cheese with the cooked zucchini and onions thoroughly to achieve a smooth texture contributes to a creamy and rich consistency without visible detection 🙂
Adjusting Consistency: If the soup becomes too thick, add additional chicken broth until the desired consistency is achieved.
Bay Leaves Reminder: Remember to remove bay leaves before serving to avoid accidentally consuming them.
Seasoning Adjustments: Taste the soup before serving and adjust the salt, pepper, or additional herbs if needed.
Do you love comforting soups? Check out more of my easy and nutritious soup recipes:
Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup with Cottage Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 white onion
- 1 yellow zucchini
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 carrots
- 3 celery stalks
- 4 ounces gluten-free egg tagliatelle pasta
Chicken Breasts:
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- dash pepper
Chicken Broth:
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 4 bay leaves
Instructions
- Place two boneless, skinless chicken breasts in plastic bags and pound until they're an even thickness.Sprinkle both sides with flaky sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and a dash of pepper. Set aside.
- In a large pot, sauté diced yellow zucchini, white onion, and garlic in butter until the zucchini is fork tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add olive oil to the pot, then brown the seasoned chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes on each side.While the chicken is cooking, combine cottage cheese, sautéed vegetables, and 1/2 cup of chicken stock in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- To the pot of chicken, add gluten-free chicken broth, diced carrots, diced celery, salt, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.Then, remove bay leaves from the pot. Take out the cooked chicken breasts.Stir the blended cottage cheese and vegetable mixture into the pot. Add pasta noodles.Shred the chicken, return it to the pot, and cook for an additional 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld.Spoon into a soup bowl and enjoy!
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Responses
I switched out zucchini for normal pesto because that’s all i have in my fridge but turns out amazing!
This soup recipe is really easy to make and I love the ‘hidden’ vegetables. Will be making this one often! I added a few more carrots. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Hi Meredith! I’m so glad your family didn’t mind the extra ‘hidden vegetables’ 🙂 Thank you so much for the feedback!
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