Meatball Minestrone Soup ...p29

A quick, head out the door in the morning without a nourishing breakfast to stimulate our appetites and jumpstart our metabolisms, another quick lunch because we just don't have time to cook anymore, a heavy dinner after we arrive home at night just in time to head for bed, have left us with more pounds then we want, more pills than we should take, and more heartburn than we can handle.  OK, so this time we're serious.  Our house is going to try to eat that healthy breakfast, make time for lunch and go easy on the evening delectables.

Soup?  It's not just for lunch anymore.

Katie's Meatball Minestrone recipe caught my eye because of the "dinner" quality of meatballs.  (Gotta ease my way to more broth!)  Served with a baguette and red wine, this one is fabulous.  Everyone one of us, including my visiting 4-yr old grandson, loved, loved it.  My husband's reaction was "fabulous!", "I could eat this every night," and about an hour after dinner, ate another bowl....  Hard to keep the appetite in check on this one.   

Only Nana had a different opinion.  She didn't like the idea of meatballs in a soup, whose broth  and other ingredients were better left consumed without that addition.  Incidentally, the broth is a chicken base - not beef, making it lighter and milder tasting.  So, I guess if you're not into meatballs, leave them out!

Hardy Appetit!

MEATBALL MINESTRONE SOUP

64 Rosina Italian Meatballs

11-12 c Chicken Stock

2 - 14 1/2 oz cans Italian Stewed Tomatoes

1 c small pasta

1 large or 2 small carrots, diced

2-3 medium zucchini, sliced

1 c frozen peas

1 - 9 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed                        

2 - 6 oz. jars sliced mushrooms                                                       

1 T Italian Seasoning

1 T minced garlic

1 small onion, chopped

Thaw meatballs.  Combine stock, tomatoes (with juice), mushrooms, onion, garlic & seasoning in a large pot, break up tomatoes, bring to a boil.  Add carrots & meatball; simmer covered for 30-45 min.  Add kidney beans, zucchini, peas, & pasta; return to simmer.  Cover and cook for 15-20 min more.  Remember the pasta will continue to cook after you cut off the fire, so it is best to leave it firm.  If too soupy, you can add more pasta, but the pata will suck up a lot of the broth, so you may have to add more broth or water to warm back up.