tasty chicken noodle soup
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Lipton Noodle Soup, packaged as "Lipton Soup Secrets" and made by Unilever Corp., comes as a dried mix with chicken broth, noodles and seasonings. Prepare the soup easily on the stove top or add extra ingredients for a creative soup sensation. Any of the varieties of the noodle soup -- including ring-o-noodle, chicken noodle and extra noodle -- use the same cooking method.

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot.

Stir in one pouch of the soup mix. Reduce the heat to a simmer.

Keep the pot uncovered and stir every so often. It should be fully cooked in about 5 minutes.

Tips

Alternatively microwave the soup by combining 3 cups of water and a pouch of the soup mix in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high for 10 to 12 minutes; do not cover the bowl. At minute 5 or 6, pause cooking to stir the soup.

Serve the soup immediately, but it will be quite hot, so sip slowly. Sprinkle with a little parsley for garnish. The pouch makes about two 1 1/2-cup servings.

The noodle soup makes a superb base for a richer, heartier soup. Add fresh vegetables, such as diced carrots and celery, broccoli florets and snap peas for a more substantial meal. You'll need to simmer the soup a bit longer over low heat to cook the vegetables, through -- about 10 minutes.

Tips

If you still want a veggie-rich soup in 5 minutes of cook time, add fresh spinach or Swiss chard to the soup in the last minute or two of cooking.

  • Make the noodle soup into something exotic by adding Asian or Latin flavors. During cooking, add sliced scallions, soy sauce, slivered carrots and cut-up, cooked chicken; or, add canned whole peeled tomatoes, canned green chilies, cumin, cut-up chicken and strips of tortilla chips. 
  • Achieve an Italian-style chicken noodle soup by adding assorted cut-up frozen vegetables, canned tomatoes, garlic powder and Italian seasonings, such as dried basil and oregano. Make it chicken Parmigiano style with the addition of cut-up chicken breast, fresh diced tomato and garlic powder. Garnish with Parmesan and shredded mozzarella cheese.