Recipe: Italian Meatball Soup

This is a quicker adaptation of a much more complicated recipe. Every time I make it everyone asks for the recipe, and since it's easy to double or triple it's a favorite for winter gatherings at our house. If you're cooking this recipe with friends you have very little to prepare ahead, as only the vegetables take any work.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 C diced yellow onion
• 3/4 C diced celery
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 15-1/2 oz. cans ready-cut tomatoes
• 8 C beef broth
• 12 oz. beer
• 2 sliced zucchini
• 1/2 package farfalle pasta
• 2 t italian seasoning, or some combination of basil/rosemary/oregano
• 1/2 package Trader Joe's frozen flame-broiled meatballs in blue package (if you don't live near a TJ's you can use any kind of frozen meatballs; the seasoning in them will add to the flavor of the soup)

Directions:

Saute onion, celery, and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add tomatoes, beef broth, and beer and bring to boil. Add pasta and simmer until almost done. Cook meatballs in microwave for 2-3 minutes (until warm), and cut into fourths. Add meatballs and zucchini to soup and cook until pasta and zucchini are done. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.