Mini Meatballs Soup with Sage and Pasta

Mini Meatballs Soup with Sage and Pasta
Main ingredients
  • Meat
Ingredients
Method

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

  • 1
    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.
  • 2
    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.
  • 3
    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.
  • 4
    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.
  • 5
    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.
  • 6
    Serve the soup with the torn basil leaves and Parmesan shavings on top.
  • 7
    Cook's notes: Risoni or orzo pasta is small and shaped like barley or large rice grains. Ditalini is small and tube-shaped.