Chicken and Potato Florentine Soup

This is a popular soup at Olive Garden and this is a pretty close copy-cat recipe. We actually made it with leftover turkey. Makes a FULL crockpot!

Ingredients:

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
32 ounces chicken broth
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
1 tablespoon instant minced onion
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
2 (28 ounce) cans water
2 (15 ounce) cans great northern beans, drained
10 ounces shredded carrots
6 medium sliced potatoes, peeled
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/4 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon italian seasoning
1/2 tablespoon instant minced onion
1/2 tablespoon paprika
5 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
8 ounces cream cheese
8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:

- Simmer first 6 ingredients until chicken breasts are tender; remove meat and let cool; drain the solids from the broth and put clear liquid back into the soup pot; chop up chicken into bite size chunks and put back into the broth.

- Add next 10 ingredients to the soup pot and simmer for 45-60 minutes. The potatoes should be fork tender but not mushy.

- Add the fresh spinach and stir; let it wilt into the soup for about 5 minutes.

- Add the cream cheese and the grated mozzarella to the soup pot. Stir frequently until the cheese melts. Be careful that it does not stick to the bottom.

- Ladle into bowls; serve with crusty bread.

 

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:

- We made this in the crockpot and cooked it all day.

- Added the beans without about an hour left and the spinach about 5 minutes before serving.

- Instead of mixing in the mozzarella cheese we just topped the soup with it.

*** Original Recipe from: www.food.com***