Crock-Pot Creative Chicken Soup

I'm a big fan of Stephanie O'Dea's Year of Slow Cooking blog and subsequent cookbook, Make It Fast, Cook It Slow. This recipe didn't make it into the cookbook, but it's one of my favorites. I call it "creative" because it uses some ingredients that you don't typically see in chicken soup. As with most soups, you can adjust the amounts based on preferences, how many people you're feeding, etc.

Creative Chicken Soup
Slightly adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken
6 cups water
1 or 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chunked
2 chicken bouillon cubes (if you don't have any, just substitute chicken stock for some of the water)
1 cup broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Handful of raw rice noodles or spaghetti
1 large handful raw spinach leaves
Salt and pepper
Parmesan or Asiago cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Put the chicken in the slow cooker and pour water and/or broth over it. Add all vegetables except for the spinach leaves. Stir in the bouillon (if using), balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. (I also added poultry seasoning and a pinch of cumin.) Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until sweet potatoes are tender and the onion is translucent.

2. 15 minutes before serving, add noodles and spinach to the pot. (I recommend the rice noodles!) Cover and flip to high.

3. Serve. Garnish with parmesan and asiago cheeses, if desired.

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