My Everything-in-the-Pot Minestrone

This post is for Shelley...

Reeta's Chicken Minestrone Soup

1 whole fryer (or you can use chicken breasts)
1 to 2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 to 3 carrots, diced
2 to 3 celery stalks, diced
4 to 5 fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 very large cans (49.5 oz.) chicken broth (or if you're really ambitious use stock)
1 tsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. dried basil
2 1lb. bags frozen veggies (or equivalent amount of fresh) - I really like to use an Asparagus Stir-Fry or anything with broccoli
2 cans diced tomatoes, with the liquid
1 can red kidney beans, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, with the liquid
1 can cannellini beans (small white beans), with liquid
1 to 2 cups fresh cabage, chopped into large pieces
1 1/2 cups salad pasta (looks like short straight macaroni)

In a very large stock pot heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the chicken and saute until all sides are browned. Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until the onions start to become translucent. Add the chicken broth. Add water until the chicken is completely covered. Put a lid on the pot and cook until it boils. Turn down the heat to medium low and cook for 30 to 40 minutes - until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and add the frozen veggies, tomatoes, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and cannellini beans. Bring the soup back up to a simmer. De-bone the chicken and add it back to the soup. Add the cabage and pasta. The soup is ready when the pasta is firm, but not hard. Salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the seasoning as needed. (sometimes it needs just a little more basil)

This makes a huge amount of soup. I like to make it because my family will eat it for a week. It is really great a day or 2 after you make it, because the flavors really meld together. It is also a great soup to serve to a crowd. This recipe is easy to alter to your own tastes - vegetarian, no onions, the veggies you like, etc. The amounts can also be adjusted.