Chunky meatball soup

We had Sam’s new school friend over for tea this week, so I decided to make a one pot supper so I could concentrate on entertaining the boys. I always try and do as much of the dish in advance as I can, so it’s just a case of heating things up. It’s amazing the levels of mishchief a couple of four year olds can achieve when you turn your back for five minutes!

I looked to the excellent Sainsburys website for some recipe inspiration, you can always find some gems on there.

Feed your family for a fiver? Don’t mind if I do! The chunky meatball soup is pretty simple and quick to rustle up. Ready made meatballs browned, onions, garlic and parsley stalks softened. A load of kidney beans, veg stock, a tin of cherry tomatoes and some tiny pasta shapes.

I served it up with some crusty garlic bread to mop up the juices.  After working up an appetite running around the house like loons, the boys really enjoyed it!

It makes absolutely LOADS so you could easily double the quantity of meatballs to make it more meaty. Or just keep the meatball-free leftovers as a lunchtime soup for the next day. We thought the leftovers were even tastier after a night in the fridge!

The hearty nature of the pasta and kidney beans are really filling, so for grown ups watching their weight it’s ideal as you’re not really tempted to snack after finishing a bowl of this!

Chunky meatball soup (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 x 350g pack beef meatballs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 x 28g pack flat leaf parsley, remove leaves and finely chop  stalks, chop the leaves and keep separate.
• 2 x 420g tins red kidney beans in water
• 1 x 250g pack conchiglietti
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 1 x 400g tin cherry tomatoes

Method

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan and brown the beef meatballs until they are piping hot, cooked through and no pink colour remains. Remove and set aside on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
2. In the oil left in the pan, fry 1 onion and 1 clove garlic, both peeled and finely chopped, and parsley stalks, chopped with leaves reserved, until tender. Drain the red kidney beans and add to the pan, then warm through. Transfer all the ingredients to a large saucepan and add the cherry tomatoes, 150g conchiglietti, and 1 1⁄2 litres stock, made using 1 vegetable stock cube. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
3. Just before serving, add the reserved parsley leaves and meatballs, stir through and serve.