Use frozen meatballs to make Italian soup in jiffy

How do you transform a traditional three-hour soup recipe into a quick, midweek dinner possibility? Use frozen meatballs.

Frozen pre-cooked meatballs, readily available in the supermarket frozen food section, mean today's recipe for Quickie Italian Wedding Soup is only 25 minutes away.

Canned broth, another time-saving ingredient in this soup, has been a desperate pantry staple for years. But it's only recently that we have come to rely on frozen pre-cooked meatballs. Of course, you can whip up a platter of spaghetti and meatballs in a flash with them, and we often do. But meatballs are for more than just pasta. Check out www.desperationdinners.com for another terrific recipe with frozen prepared meatballs: Moroccan Meatballs over Couscous.

Look for bags of plain or Italian-style meatballs in the frozen meat section. You'll save money on larger bags of meatballs if you have access to a warehouse-style supermarket. Just reach in the bag and take out what you need, and throw the rest back in the freezer for later.

Traditional flavors don't have to take hours and hours. For this version of a traditional recipe we have frozen meatballs to thank for the time savings.

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Menu: Quickie Italian Wedding Soup

Iceberg wedge and Italian dressing

Orange segments

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QUICKIE ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

Start to finish: 25 minutes

Cook's note: Depending on what brands of beans are available in your area, you'll notice the can size may vary from 15 ounces to over a pound. Those few ounces of variation will not matter for this recipe.

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 medium onion (for about 3/4 cup chopped)

8 to 10 already-peeled baby carrots (for about 3/4 cup chopped)

2 stalks celery (for about 3/4 cup chopped)

1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend

2 cups water

2 cans (14-ounces each) fat-free chicken broth

1 package (1-pound) frozen Italian-style meatballs (about 30 meatballs)