Meatball Tortellini Soup

I created this from a combination of a pizza soup, a tortellini soup and some leftover meatballs.  We liked it so much that I wrote it down and have continued making it ever since. It is a great meal to have all the ingredients saved on the shelf and the freezer and pulled out for a hurried dinner.

Ingredients:

30 frozen meatballs/ the little size (It looks like a lot, but for our family, is only about 3-4 small meatballs per person)

1 20 oz can/jar of favorite spaghetti sauce

1  14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can tomato soup

4-5 cups water (depends on the thickness you like)

1/2  onion, chopped fine (or 1 Tbsp minced dry)

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

2-3 cloves minced garlic (or 1/2 tsp dry)

2-3 cups frozen tortellini (or the shelf stable kind)

Directions:

Put everything except the tortellini in a large pot.  Bring it to a boil.  Cook according to package directions on your meatballs (usually 15 minutes.) Add the tortellini and cook until done..  Serve with grated parmesan.

*On a day when you have more time or want to add more nutrition, chopped carrots, zucchini, bell peppers and mushrooms all go well in this soup.  You can also substitute 1 lb of bulk Italian sausage for the meatballs.  Brown and drain it as the first step if you choose this option.