Recipe #100: Chicken Minestrone Soup

Check it out, recipe #100!  Thanks to everyone who reads my blog, offers suggestions, and makes these recipes themselves!!  So, spring's coming but it still feels like the dead of winter (yay Cleveland), so soup is still quite appropriate.  Here's a good hearty one from one of my cook books.... I was very lenient with the amounts of vegetables here, and I added more pasta and broth and lots more chicken...  I like really chunky soup.  It's customizable!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sliced carrot (we used more)
1/2 cup chopped celery (we used more)
1/2 cup chopped onion (we used lots more)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 14oz cans chicken broth (and I added more later)
2 15-19oz cans white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
8-10oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces (we used 1.4lbs!)
1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (you guessed it- we used a little more)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup dried bow tie pasta (we used closer to 2 cups)
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained

DIRECTIONS:

In a 5-6 quart Dutch oven, cook carrots, celery, and onion in hot oil over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add broth, white kidney beans, chicken, green beans, and pepper.  Bring to boiling; add pasta.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Stir in zucchini.  Return to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes.  Stir in undrained tomatoes; heat through and serve!