Tomato Basil Chicken Stew

(Recipe can be found on the site Gimme Some Oven here.)
Step by Step Instructions:

Tomato Basil Chicken Stew makes a perfect week night meal. Here’s what you’ll need: Black Pepper, 3 cups of Shredded Chicken, Fresh Spinach (you’ll need about 2 handfuls), Olive Oil, Red Pepper Flakes, 1 can of Cannelini beans, a small Onion diced, 4 cloves of Garlic, 2 28-ounce cans of whole tomatoes, 2 diced Carrots, 2 diced Celery Stalks, 1/4 cup of fresh Basil, and Salt.

Grab a large pot and heat it over medium-heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.

Once the oil is hot, add the carrots, onions and celery to the pan. I also seasoned them with salt and pepper too. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 7 minutes until the onions are translucent.

Once the onions are fairly translucent, add the 4 cloves of minced garlic and stir for about a minute or until you can smell the garlic in the pan.

Next add the 2 cans of tomatoes (juice included) to the pot and use a spoon or a potato masher to crush the tomatoes so they are in bite-sized pieces.

Be sure you rinse and drain the beans to remove all of that excess sodium.

Then add the 2 handfuls of fresh spinach, 3 cups of shredded chicken, rinsed and drained beans, 1/4 cup of basil leaves torn up, and salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to the pot.

Stir the ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil.

Once the stew is boiling…

…cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium low to low and let the soup simmer for 10 minutes.

Once the soup is finished simmering, taste it and add any salt and pepper as needed. Stir up the soup and serve it immediately. You can then top each bowl with freshly grated parmesan cheese and enjoy! Happy simmering!

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small white onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (28 oz.) cans whole tomatoes (with their juices)
1 (14 oz.) can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 handfuls baby spinach
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional for topping soup)

Preparation Instructions:
1. Once the veggies are chopped and the chicken is shredded, grab a large pot and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and once it’s hot, stir in the onions, carrots, and celery. Saute and stir for 7 minutes until the onions are translucent.

2. Add the minced garlic to the pot and stir for about a minute. Once you can smell the garlic in the pot, you’re good to move on.

3. Then add the 2 cans of whole tomatoes and juice. Use a spoon or potato masher to mash up the tomatoes so they are bite-sized.

4. Add the cannelini beans, chicken, 2 handfuls of baby spinach, fresh basil which you can roughly chop or tear with your hands, plus salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes.

5. Combine the mixture and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, partially cover the pot and turn the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Then serve and top with greshly grated Parmesan cheese if you choose.