Nana's Chicken Pastina Soup

OK, this is not "my Nana's" soup - this is just the name out of Cooking Light and I felt guilty changing it. Don't get me wrong though - my family makes some amazing food, including great soups! However, I had been wanting to try something new and had the motivation to try a new soup tonight. I gotta say - I was impressed with this soup. It is super easy to make, and the flavor is really delicious. My goal is to have it for lunch a day or so and then freeze the rest. Check it out! Oh, and there are a few pictures just because I couldn't resist the cute pasta:

And fresh pesto that was SO yummy:

Ingredients

1/2 cup water

2 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 1/4 cups pre-chopped celery, onion, and carrot mix

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 pound cooked chicken breast (cut into 1-inch cubes or shredded)

1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) uncooked pastina (I used Stellina)

3 tablespoons commercial pesto (Whole Foods has delicious fresh pesto)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup (1 ounce) fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions

Bring water and broth to a boil in a large saucepan/Dutch oven. Stir in celery mix, pepper, salt, and chicken; bring to a boil. Add pasta; cook 4 minutes. Be sure to stir immediately so the pasta does not stick to the bottom. Stir in pesto and juice, and simmer 1 minute. Sprinkle with cheese. I preserved the cheese for each serving, personally.

​Note: I boiled the chicken.