Chickastrone Soup

Rob was sick so I attempted to make him Chicken Noodle Soup … long story short, I added tomatoes to the broth which turned the yellow soup, a funny shade of red. After I had my little cry, I decided to add more veggies and call the soup Minnestrone. The soup turned out yummy and hearty. I play with the addition of new veggies and fresh herbs if I have them on hand. This soup freezes well, is great as a leftover and works well at dinner parties. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 box chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
6 chicken tenders or 2 chicken breasts (skinless) - OPTIONAL
2 carrots – diced
3 zucchinis - diced
½ yellow onion - diced
4 cloves garlic - minced
½ cup frozen white corn
1 cup frozen spinach (I don’t defrost the spinach before I measure it out)
1 can diced tomatoes (8oz)
1 cup dried pasta (any kind)
Add whatever other veggies you have (mushrooms, celery, parsnips, etc)

Seasonings:
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried Italian Herbs (mix of oregano/basil/parsely)
½ tsp dried celery seed
3-4 cups water

Directions:
Bring chicken broth and 3 of the 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium sized stock pot. Add chicken and cook for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to med/low. Remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to the pot and add all of the remaining ingredients. Simmer the soup for at least 1 hour. I simmer for 2 hours or longer -- until the chicken falls apart into shreds, and the pasta breaks apart into little bits. I like it when the veggies are small and not chunky. If you prefer a chunkier soup, perhaps if you are serving it at a dinner party, then simmer for less time. Add the 4^th cup of water if the soup gets too thick as it simmers.