Our daughter, Summer, shared this delicious soup recipe with us. I tweaked it slightly with a couple different spices, added the diced green chilies and used a lower calorie cheese than the original recipe called for.

This soup is really good served with tortilla chips and Chunky Tomato Avocado Salsa.

1. In large soup pot, combine and heat:

3 quarts chicken broth

2 (14.5-oz) cans diced tomatoes, including juice

1 (10-oz) package frozen, chopped spinach

2 (4-oz) cans diced green chilies 

2. Meanwhile in a large pan, heat 3 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté for 3-4 minutes:

1 medium onion, chopped

4–5 garlic cloves, minced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 carrot, shredded

1 small zucchini, diced 

3. Season vegetables with spices and sauté for an additional minute:

2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1 Tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp lemon pepper 

4. Add seasoned vegetables to the soup and let simmer for ½-1 hour to blend flavors, dropping in:

1 bay leaf 

5. Just before serving, stir in until heated through:

2 cups diced cooked chicken 

6. Ladle soup into large soup bowls and top each individual serving with:

Grated Parmesan cheese

½ avocado, diced

1-2 canned chipotle peppers (optional) 

7. Yields 10 servings.   

NOTE: Make sure you purchase frozen chopped spinach so you won’t have long, stringy spinach leaves in the soup.