Grandma's Chicken Soup

My grandmother was a fantastic cook.  She loved to read cookbooks like novels, cover to cover.  (Sound familiar?)  She loved to experiment in the kitchen though not always successfully.  It was from her that I learned to love food, cooking, and baking.

There's no way to be sure that this is exactly my grandmother's soup; she rarely made the same thing twice.  Let's pretend it's her soup even if it's only the alphabet noodles that evoked memories of many meals eaten at her dining room table.

Grandma's Soup

extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped (optional - I'm not sure I'd put these in again.  They were good but not great.)
2 cooked chicken breasts, diced (I used a roast chicken so I didn't have to cook these)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
8 - 10 c chicken stock
1/2 lb pasta, I used alphabet pasta

Heat some over olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Sauté the veggies until they soft.  It usually takes me 10 or 15 minutes.  Don't worry if the bottom starts to get brown, that's just more flavour.  If your flavour is looking like the burnt variety, please turn down the heat!

Add the remaining ingredients, save the pasta, and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and let the soup simmer for 10 - 20 minutes or as long as you have.  Longer isn't bad but you may want to cover it so you don't loose too much liquid.

About 10 minutes before you're ready to serve, bring the pot up to a rolling boil and add your pasta.  Cook until you think it was done.  It's not for me to say if you like it crunchy, al dente or mushy.