Soup makes an inviting meal with a tantalizing aroma that welcomes everyone to the table. Minestra is Italian for soup, and minestrone is a hearty vegetable soup. In Italy, specific recipes are rarely followed; cooks use ingredients they have on hand, including pasta, beans, leftover meat and vegetables.

This meatball minestrone is a one-pot meal. (The recipe can be doubled easily. If you have time, make a large pot and use it for another meal.) Fennel seeds and oregano give the meatballs a distinctive taste. Fennel seeds are oval, green-brown seeds from the common fennel plant. They have an anise flavor and are used in many liqueurs. They can be found in the spice section of your market and will keep for 6 months.

Brushing the top of the bread with garlic gives it just a hint of spice that doesn’t overwhelm the other flavors in the meal. If you’re a big garlic fan, though, simply add another clove to the recipe.

The pasta will absorb the soup liquid if left to sit for any length of time. If you are not serving the soup immediately, cook the pasta in a separate pot of water for 10 minutes. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking liquid. Add 1/2 teaspoon olive oil to the liquid and toss in the pasta to keep it from sticking. Add the pasta to the soup a few minutes before serving to warm through.

Helpful Hints• Garlic bread can be bought already prepared to save time.• Acini pepe or pastina are tiny pastas that are used for soup. If you have difficulty finding either, use orzo or any small pieces of pasta.

Countdown• Preheat oven to 350 degrees for bread or toast in toaster oven.• Make meatballs and start first part of soup and while soup cooks, prepare chickpeas, spinach, basil and Parmesan cheese. .• Prepare garlic bread.

HERBED MEATBALL MINESTRONE—Yield: 2 servings

1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds1 teaspoon oregano6 ounces very lean ground beefSalt and freshly ground black pepper1 teaspoon olive oil1/2 cup sliced onion1/2 cup sliced carrots2 garlic cloves, crushed1 cup canned low-sodium, whole tomatoes (including juice)1 cup low-sodium tomato juice2 cups fat-free, low-salt chicken broth2 cups water1/2 cup acini pepe, pastina or other very small pasta1/2 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained2 cups washed, ready-to-eat spinach1/2 cup fresh basil torn into small pieces2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure:1. Mix fennel seeds and oregano into ground beef. Add a little salt and pepper and form into meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.2. Heat oil in medium-size, nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs on all sides, about 5 minutes. They will be cooked through. Set aside on plate3. To same pan, add onion, carrot and garlic. Sauté 2 minutes without browning vegetables. Add whole tomatoes, including juice, and break them up with edge of spoon. Add tomato juice, chicken broth and water. Bring to boil.4. Add pasta, reduce heat slightly and cook gently 10 minutes, stirring once or twice to make sure pasta cooks freely.5. Add chickpeas, spinach and basil to soup. Return meatballs to the soup, stir and cook to wilt spinach, about 30 seconds. Add salt and pepper to taste.6. Serve in large soup bowls with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Nutrition data per serving: 432 calories (21 percent from fat), 10.1 g fat (3.5 g saturated, 4.2 g monounsaturated), 112 mg cholesterol, 34.6 g protein, 52.8 g carbohydrates, 7.0 g fiber, 778 mg sodium.

GARLIC-CRUSTED BREAD—Yield: 2 servings

1/2 tablespoon olive oil1 medium clove garlic, crushed1/2 loaf Italian bread, or 2 crusty rollsProcedure:Preheat oven to 350 degrees or use toaster oven.Mix oil and garlic; brush on top of bread. Warm in oven 5 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Serve with soup.Nutrition data per serving: 164 calories (28 percent from fat), 5.0 g fat (0.8 g saturated, 2.8 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 3.9 g protein, 25.8 g carbohydrates, 1.3 g fiber, 341 mg sodium.

Herbed Meatball Minestrone is a quick, one-pot meal. Photo by MCCLATCHY