STEP UP YOUR Chicken Noodle SOUP

Create an all-star dish with Molly Yeh's homemade noodles.

molly Yeh's love of soup goes back to middle school when she toted a plaid thermos of Campbell's Chicken & Stars to the lunchroom every day. "Pouring little cups of that steaming hot soup dotted with those soft, comforting noodles made me feel like I was cozy at home," Molly says. Now she spends Sunday afternoons making her own chicken soup while her daughters, Bernie and Ira, nap, as she shares in her new book, Home Is Where the Eggs Are. Her broth is full of noodle stars (cut from homemade dough) and chubby slices of parsnips and carrots. Says Molly, "If my daughters' earliest memory is waking up to a house that smells like chicken soup, I will feel like I have succeeded as a parent."

IN DEFENSE OF MUSHY NOODLES

“Contrary to some ‘rules,’ I cook my noodles directly in the soup instead of in a separate pot of boiling water. I honestly like this method for all the reasons they tell you not to do it. (The noodles get mushy! The broth gets cloudy!) I love mushy noodles and the way the cloudy starch thickens the soup. I always look forward to having the soup the next day, when it tastes even better and the noodles are even softer.”

—Molly

CHICKEN AND STARS SOUP

ACTIVE: 1 hr 10 min l TOTAL: 3 hr 20 min l SERVES: 4 to 6