Mandystrone Garlic Soup

I totally co-opted this, so I had to give credit. It's SO good and takes about 20 minutes. Perfect!

What's in it:
10 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup each frozen crinkle carrots, frozen chopped spinach
1 tbsp Vegeta, Tony Chachere's, Emeril's Essence...or any other seasoned salt you like
1 28-0z can diced tomatoes with sauce
1 can beans (I had leftover kidney and canneloni beans so I used those)
1 cup pre cooked pasta
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley and basil (just because I happened to have it, you could use dried or just skip this part)

What COULD be in it:
It will take longer, but adding a chopped onion, a couple of ribs of chopped celery, a chopped red bell and a zucchini sliced into half moons would make this more authentic.

Using fresh spinach (add at the very end) and fresh carrots would be good, but again that involves prep work and today was a pour-it-in day, not a chop-it-up day.

Cut up pre-cooked chicken, pre-cooked meatballs, pre-cooked smoked or Italian sausage

About 1/2 cup of grated cheese stirred in

How you do it:
1) Heat olive oil over medium and sautee garlic for a few minutes.
2) Add broth (and water if you like a more soupy soup) and seasoning mix and bring to a boil.
3) Add frozen veggies and boil for about 8 minutes.
4) Add tomatoes, pasta and beans and heat through.
5) Stir in herbs (if using) and serve with grilled cheese or cheese bread.