Italian-style Meatball Soup
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Soups
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Made with a mix of pork sausage meat and mince, these juicy meatballs bob in a garlicky tomato broth with pasta – a comforting Italian-inspired bowl.
Ingredients
Panko-Parmesan Crisps
½ C (125 ml) Panko breadcrumbs
½ C (125 ml) Parmesan cheese, grated
Meatballs & Soup
500 g pork sausages
500 g pork mince
¼ C (60 ml) olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
250 g celery, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp (10 ml) red chilli flakes
1 Tbsp (15 ml) mixed Italian herbs
1 x 410 g tin tomato purée
1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
1.5 L chicken stock
250 g pasta of choice (we used mezze maniche rigate)
⅖ C (100 ml) cream
3 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves picked and chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
To Serve
A handful of freshly picked and washed basil
Panko-Parmesan crisps
Freshly grated Parmesan (optional)
Instructions
To Serve
A handful of freshly picked and washed basil
Panko-Parmesan crisps
Freshly grated Parmesan (optional)
Panko-Parmesan Crisps
Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
In a mixing bowl, combine the Panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Line a baking tray with baking paper, then spread the crumb mixture into a large, even disc. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool and harden.
Meatballs & Soup
Squeeze the pork sausage meat out of the casings and place into a mixing bowl; discard the casings. Add the pork mince and gently mix to combine. Form into evenly sized meatballs, taking care not to overwork the mixture, as this helps keep the meatballs tender.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Brown the meatballs on all sides, working in batches if necessary. Set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery, and cook until the onions begin to caramelise.
Stir in the garlic, red chilli flakes and Italian herbs, and cook for another 1–2 minutes. Pour in the tomato purée and chopped tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes to reduce slightly.
Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in the pasta and cook according to the package instructions.
When the pasta is nearly done (about 2 minutes remaining), pour in the cream and simmer gently. Stir in the chopped oregano and season well with salt and pepper.
To Serve
Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the browned meatballs and garnish with fresh basil and shards of the Panko-Parmesan crisp. Add a light grating of fresh Parmesan if preferred.
