Meatball Minestrone

We had the first snowfall of the season yesterday and, as usual, it seemed like everyone forgot how to drive in a little snow.  A trip in the car that should have taken 30 minutes turned into nearly 2 hours! Glad we had this waiting for us when we got home.

Olive oil
1 cup ditali pasta, or any small pasta
2 cups onion, diced
1/2 cup yellow pepper, diced
2 carrots, sliced or diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
Parmesan rind, if you can find some
1  1/2 - 2 cups frozen cooked mini meatballs
398 ml ( 1  1/2 cups) kidney beans
2-3 drops hot sauce
900 ml (4 cups) beef broth
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp fennel seed

Cook the pasta as directed on the package, drain, toss with some olive oil and set aside.

Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in the bottom of a soup pot. Add garlic and onion and cook until lightly browned. Add broth and parmesan rind. Stir in the canned tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the vegetables, kidney beans, hot sauce and seasonings, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add meatballs and cook an additional 10 minutes. Yes, I used frozen cooked mini meatballs. Sometimes you just have to give yourself a break!

Check to see that the vegetables are cooked and the meatballs are heated through. Toss in the pasta and stir until heated, a couple of minutes. Remove the parmesan rind and serve the soup with shredded parmesan at the table. 

P.S. It's 1 month 'til Christmas!