Quick soup

It has been raining here almost non-stop for 2 days. Cameron was sick 2 days from school this week with a virus so I'm starting to feel a little bit of cabin fever. I say this carefully as a really do detest taking the kids out in the rain because I am always the one who ends up getting soaked. It it better now since we can load and unload in a garage. When we were in that dreaded apartment it was just awful in the rain. Everyone was wet but me the most! Typical of the us, we had a miscommunication between Mike and I and I thought he had class last night but he didn't. I didn't know this until 4 o'clock and had nothing planned for dinner. It was going to be one of those "anything goes" nights here. When I found out he was going to be home I thought I'd better make an attempt at dinner. But, what can you make in less than 2 hours with nothing thawed? I love scouring the internet for recipes and found this one under a 30 minute soup website. I have to say on a cold, rainy night it really hit the spot. I thought I would share a quick and easy meal that my hubby really enjoyed. He's not a fan of me experimenting on him but this one worked out!

Meatball Pasta Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes (I cooked it longer and let it simmer a bit)

Ingredients:

1 package (1 pound) Frozen Cooked Meatballs
1 (28 ounce) jar your favorite Pasta Sauce
6 cups water
1 cup pre-shredded carrots (I used baby carrots and cut them up small)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup orzo pasta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
In large stock pot combined meatballs, pasta sauce, water, carrots and garlic. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes. Add peppers and pasta and cook 8 more minutes. Stir frequently. Serve with cheese.

I didn't add the green pepper because I didn't have any and I can't tolerate green peppers anymore (don't ask!). It would be really good with yellow or red pepper which I find more mild. I thought about adding a can of great northern beans to this and think that it would be a good addition. The pasta sauce gives it just enough kick and the orzo makes the soup a little thicker which I love. I bet you could use elbow macaroni or any small pasta as a substitution.

I really recommend this with a great hunk of bread or a nice muffin. Enjoy!