Weeknight Minestrone Soup

I spent a little too much time at the gym tonight, which meant I needed to whip up something fast .  Luckily, I had all the ingredients for this simple meal.  To make the meal a bit heartier for my husband, I also make a melted salami and gouda sandwich.  I'd like one of these too, but I feel like it would just kill all the time I spent at the gym.  Plus, I'd rather save the extra calories for my after dinner chocolate!

Ingredients (this usually feeds four):
olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 small onion, diced
celery, chopped
carrots, chopped (I usually estimate how much to use of the carrots and celery)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Unsatlted chicken stock
Tuscan chicken stock
1 can of diced, stewed, or fire roasted tomatoes
1 can of cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup ditalini pasta
1 small cooked chicken breast or turkey sausage (optional)

Heat olive oil over medium to medium high heat in a heavy medium size pot.  Yep, this is another good part of this meal - ONE POT to clean! Add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for one minute more or just before the garlic turns too brown.  Add celery and carrots and cook for 5 or 6 additional minutes or until the vegetables look tender. I don't like my vegetables cooked too much.

Add one carton of the Tuscan chicken stock (so good - great flavor), half of the unsalted chicken stock, the tomatoes (I used the fire roasted), the cannelloni beans.

Bring the soup to a boil then lower the head and cover. Allow the soup to cook for 15-20 minutes (this is usually when I check my email, sort through my mail, feed the dogs). Bring the soup back to a small boil again and add the ditalini pasta and chicken or turkey sausage (I like turkey or chicken sausage better than chicken breast, but I only had a chicken breast in the fridge, so it had to work).  Cook for an additional 10 minutes.  Serve with parmesan cheese. I just now remembered I had some basil on hand from last night's meal (grumble).  If you have basil, chop some up to add to the top of the soup with the cheese.

I'm starting to think my husband gives all my meals two thumbs up with the hopes that I will keep on cooking, but after he had three bowls, I believed that he really did like this soup.  Plus, we have leftovers.

Enjoy!