Step 1

6 stalks of broccoli. separate the stems from the florets. This is the longest part of the recipe because you want the florets to only really be an inch and cut longways into smaller pieces. You want them to be small enough that they will cook in the hot broth in less than 10 minutes.

Step 2

Chop up 2 large chicken breasts into small cubes. About half inch. Sear the chicken in a large soup pan and remove with a slotted spoon.

Step 3

Dice the broccoli stems and an onion and cook them in the soup pot, scraping the bottom of the pot to get any of the burned bits from the chicken. Add a lot of diced garlic. Like 5 big cloves at least. Cook 2 minutes. Add 3 boxes of chicken stock. Simmer 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to blend up the soup. It isn't going to be thick or anything like a pureed soup, I just didn't want chunks of onion or broccoli stems in there. The pureed veggies add a nice flavor and body to the broth.

Step 4

Meanwhile, cook some mini penne in salted boiling water. Add the broccoli florets to the soup and simmer until they are your desired level of softness. Return the chicken to the pot and add 1/2 cup of parm. Strain the pasta and put some in the bottom of a bowl. Add a few ladles of soup on top of your pasta and top with more parm. Serve