Chicken Noodle Soup

For all those suffering from cold and flu season, eat this and go to bed!
I am using a rottesori chicken here with boxed chicken stock to make it super simple--of course feel free to make your own stock and chicken (boil a whole chicken with carrots, celery, onions and spices for about 6 hours, strain and add to soup).
This is also fun on a cold winter night!
Chicken Noodle Soup
1 C diced carrots
1C diced celery
1 minced garlic clove
1 diced sweet potato
bunch of thyme
bunch of oregeno
pinch (or more if you like) red pepper flakes
1 liter chicken broth/stock
2 C shredded chicken (from a bought and cooked rotessori)
2 links chicken sausage--castings removed --can be cooked but doesn't have to be if in bulk (just remove castings if not cooked and drop in balls)
1 box Orechiette (button) pasta --you could also use rice (the better quality pasta the better--fresh is perfect!)
optional: grated perricono reggiano (sheep's milk cheese)
Cook carrots and celery, oregano and  thyme in olive oil in large sauce pan covered until softer. Add garlic and sweet potato. Let everything get fairly soft. Add broth, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Add approx. 3-4 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, add both meats and let simmer for an hour (or up to two) (this pretty flexible so don't panic about time). Add noodles, uncooked, to soup. Cook until soft. Serve with the cheese if desired.
The great thing about this is both time and ingredients are forgiving. You can also add parsley if you'd like. The main thing is to get the veggies soft (letting them sweat) and then adding everything else.