Broccoli Ham Soup

This is a favorite recipe of my mom's that I've been eating for years. I made a few changes to it the other night for dinner to make it MSPI-friendly. I've listed the original ingredients in parenthesis.

Broccoli Ham Soup

2 cups diced ham
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp. olive oil (butter)
2 cans dairy- and soy-free chicken broth
2 cups chopped broccoli or 1-10 oz. package frozen
1 1/2 cups water
1 can diced or crushed tomatoes with juice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup macaroni , rice or barley *
(Parmesan cheese)

Cook ham, onion and garlic in oil (butter) until tender. Stir in broth, broccoli, water, tomatoes and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and add macaroni. Cook 8 to 10 minutes until macaroni is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Sprinkle with cheese.)

* Adjust cooking time if you substitute rice or barley for macaroni and put broccoli in at end of cooking time -- 10 minutes is sufficient -- to keep it from overcooking.