This one-pot recipe is a fun and fast comfort food that is ready in under 30 minutes. One of my college original recipes, this recipe not only comes together fast and easy, but is very budget friendly using just three ingredients: macaroni pasta, cream of chicken soup, and peas.
That’s it!
Three easy ingredients plus 25 minutes, and that hangry attitude will be gone!
Simply boil your pasta, drain it; add the cream of chicken soup; add the peas; and finish up with a dash of salt & pepper to your liking.
Note on Cream of Chicken Soup:
We do not consume MSG (monosodium glutamate) in our house, which often limits what premade foods, including premade cream of chicken/mushroom soup we can eat. Big name soup brands often include MSG in their long list of ingredients.
This off-brand, store specific can of cream of chicken condensed soup that you see in the pictures is one of the only brands I have found in my local area that sells canned cream of soup that does not contain MSG. And gratefully, it happens to come from my grocery store of choice.
Due to the issue of MSG as a frequent additive, and due to the price of cream of chicken/mushrooms soups being, at times, expensive, I have gotten into the rhythm of simply making my own creamy soups. If you are interested in Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup, you can check out a link to that recipe here.
Make Your Own Cream of Chicken Soup:
If making my own cream of chicken soup from scratch, I will usually drain the noodles into a cullender, then make my soup in the same pot I boiled the noodles in. Making the soup in the same pot is just a small way to try and limit how many dishes I get to wash when the meal is over!
Once the soup is made, I can simply add the noodles and peas back into the pot. And there it is! A super simply, from scratch dinner made in a single pot that’s ready for the table in under 30 minutes.
Chicken Mac and Peas
2 cups dry elbow or macaroni pasta
1 can Cream of Chicken soup (10.5 oz)*
1/3-2/3 cup peas, frozen or canned
Salt & Pepper
Cheese, optional
Instructions:
1. Cook the Noodles. Heat water in medium saucepan, bring to boil. Add pasta and lower stovetop temperature to medium-low. Allow pasta to boil 8-10 mins, or until cooked.
Remove from stove and drain noodles in metal cullender.
2. Add Cream of Chicken Soup. If using a canned Cream of Chicken condensed soup, add the contents of the can into the pot. Refill the can 1/2 full with milk and swish to get remaining soup out of can.
If making Cream of Chicken Soup from scratch, add 1.5 cups homemade soup.
3. Add Peas. If using canned peas, drain the peas before adding to pasta and creamy chicken soup.
If using frozen peas, add desired amount of peas.
Optional: Add Cheese.
Salt and pepper to taste, then allow ingredients to cook together a few minutes before serving.
