Patti's Chicken Minestrone

One large chicken fryer or stewing hen

one large 64 oz tomato sauce

3 cans diced tomatoes with peppers & onions

chicken boullion cubes

celery stalks 3 sliced thin

one pound carrots sliced

one lg bag mixed vegetables frozen

2 cans kidney beans

one bag shredded cabbage

crushed red pepper to taste (very scant--hot!!)

sugar or sugar sub to taste

pepper cracked

garlic minced jarred

oregano handful dried

basil fresh minced handful

box of small size penne

couple handfuls of brown rice

large handful of bay leaves

red wine (optional)

parmesan or romano cheese fresh grated

Cover chicken with water in very large pot for soup, add handul of bay leaves. Cook on low couple of hours till chicken is tender. Remove chicken, save broth and return broth to pot.

Cool chicken and debone and set aside. To pot of broth add celery, onion, spices, garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, carrots and cabbage. Taste broth and add boullion cubes to taste, couple at a time. For a very large pot I add 3-5 cubes. Simmer till crisp/tender. Add frozen thawed veggies, box of penne, brown rice, beans drained, and amount of deboned chicken desired. If soup is to thick add water and adjust flavor with boullion. Sweeten with sugar/sugar substitute (Navella) to taste and add cup of red wine (optional). Upon serving sprinkle fresh grated parmesan/romano cheese. Freezes very well.

Optional addition is hot Italian cooked turkey sausage sliced and added to soup.