Mini Meatballs Soup With Sage and Pasta
Bite-sized mini meatballs made from pork sausage meat, herbs and breadcrumbs cooked in a tomato and vegetable broth with soup pasta. A complete meal in one pot. Delicious and nutritious
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INGREDIENTS
Meatballs
- 300g good quality pork sausage meat
- 2 teaspoons dried sage
- 4 tablespoons fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon mild olive oil
Soup
- 1 tablespoon mild olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 medium carrot, finely diced
- 1 stick celery, finely diced
- 1 medium zucchini, finely diced
- 1 x 400g can tomatoes in juice
- 4 tablespoons tomato purée
- 100g green beans cut into 2½ cm lenghts
- 1 litre hot beef or vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 x 400g can cannellini beans, drained
- 70g small pasta shapes e.g. risoni, orzo or ditalini
To serve
- 20 basil leaves, roughly torn
- 55g Parmesan cheese, shaved
METHOD
Mix together the sausage meat, sage, breadcrumbs and egg yolk. Roll the mixture into small balls approx. 2cm in diameter. Mixture will make around 35 mini meatballs.
Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the casserole over a medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides. Cook in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, removing each batch with a slotted spoon before browning the next.
Heat the tablespoon of oil for the soup in the casserole and add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and zucchini, fry slowly for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened.
Stir in the tomatoes, tomato purée, green beans, hot beef stock, the bay leaf and the beans. Bring the contents to a simmer, put on the lid and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the pasta shapes and the meatballs and continue to cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. remove the bay leaf and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve the soup with the torn basil leaves and Parmesan shavings on top.
