Meatballs with Orzo & Zucchini

This is a quick, simple recipes for those days you need to throw together something for dinner.  The key is having frozen cooked meatballs.  You can use the store bought kind or you can use your own.  Meatballs are perfect to use in many recipes, including soups, stews, and skillet dishes. 

When you have more time, just prepare a big batch of meatballs.  Cook them and freeze them in Ziploc bags.  I would put about 1/2 pound of meatballs per bag. Then you're ready to pull them out of the freezer and use them in a quick recipe like this.

The recipe calls for orzo, tomatoes, and zucchini, but you can adapt the recipe to suit your taste.  I didn't have zucchini on hand the day I prepared it, but the dish was fine without it.  You might also want to add some seasonings if you like a little more flavor.

MEATBALLS WITH ZUCCHINI AND ORZO
Ingredients:
16 frozen cooked meatballs
14 ounces low sodium beef broth
1 can low sodium diced Italian tomatoes  (I just had a can of regular tomatoes, so I added Italian seasonings to the tomatoes)
1 medium zucchini, julienned

Preparation:
Place frozen meatballs and broth in skillet and boil.  Stir in pasta and reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer 12 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes and zucchini.  Cook about 5 minutes, until zucchini is tender.