A prescription for Italian Chicken Ravioli Soup

Momma knows best. (cough, cough, sniffle, sniffle). And my momma says chicken noodle soup heals the soul and body. I don't know about anybody else, but every year around January, February or March, I tend to contract (it's weird how that word is both a noun and a verb...) cold/sinuses/flu-ish symptoms. This 'sickness' is a self diagnosis, because when I was a little girlie-girl, my daddy didn't want to spend the money for a doc visit and would just prescribe antibiotics (yes, I am the reason there are super-bugs now). Now that I am married, my lover/doctor simply says "this too shall pass." So, it was this lack of medical care that I have resorted to my momma's prescription, chicken noodle soup.
I don't mean to be rude, but don't you agree that chicken noodle soup (CNS) can be bland? Even though this little prescription may cure my cough, cough, sniffle, sniffle, I almost dread eating it. So, last night while my head was spinning and my body was aching, I found a deliciousness recipe to take place of the bland version of CNS.

Italian Chicken Soup for the Soul
1 Tbsp of olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 Tbsp of dried basil
2 Tsp of fennel seed
5 cups of chicken broth
2 bullion cubes
2 carrots, diced
2 zucchini, diced
1 9oz pkg of cheese ravioli
3-4 chicken meat, cooked
Salt and pepper
Fresh spinach
Parmesan cheese

(Please season as desired with salt and pepper throughout cooking process. I tend to season with each addition of a new ingredient.)
Pull out a very large sauce pan or a pot. Add olive oil. Saute onion on medium heat until translucent, add bell peppers, garlic, basil and fennel seed. Cook 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and bullion cubes, turn to low and simmer (covered or uncovered, your preference)for 10 minutes. Add carrots and zucchini, cook for another 5 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Bring soup mixture up to a boil and add ravioli. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Add cooked chicken and warm through. Put fresh spinach into the bottom of a big bowl and pour hot soup over spinach. Top with Parmesan cheese and freshly cracked pepper.


After shoving a few bowls of this delicious concoction down my throat and sipping on Alkaseltzer Cold and Flu nighttime, I woke up this morning feeling like a NEW woman!!!