This soup is just what your favourite Italian grandmother would make you on a cold winters evening. With a soul-soothing tomato based broth, packed full of veggies, white beans and juicy meatballs, it's all your body is craving this season. While it might be our generations-old family recipe, we're happy to share it if you promise to keep it between us..
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
3 unit(s)
Garlic Clove
10 grams
Breadcrumbs
(Contains Cereals containing gluten)
240 grams
British Beef Mince
1 unit(s)
Onion
2 unit(s)
Carrot
1 carton(s)
Cannellini Beans
2 sachet(s)
Lemon & Herb Seasoning
1 carton(s)
Tomato Passata
28 grams
Red Wine Stock Paste
(Contains Sulphites)
40 grams
Baby Spinach
20 grams
Grated Hard Italian Style Cheese
(Contains Milk, Egg)
¼ tsp
Salt
2 tbsp
Water for the Meatballs
½ tsp
Sugar
400 milliliter(s)
Water for the Broth
Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press).
In a large bowl, combine half the garlic, breadcrumbs, salt and water for the meatballs (see pantry for both amounts), then add the beef mince. Season with pepper and mix together with your hands. Roll into evenly-sized balls, 5 per person. IMPORTANT: Wash your hands and equipment after handling raw mince.
Pop the meatballs onto a large baking tray. When the oven is hot, bake on the top shelf until browned on the outside and cooked through, 12-15 mins. IMPORTANT: The meatballs are cooked when no longer pink in the middle.
Halve, peel and chop the onion into small pieces.
Trim the carrot, then quarter lengthways (no need to peel). Chop widthways into small pieces.
Drain and rinse the cannellini beans in a sieve.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot to the pan and stir-fry until slightly tender, 4-5 mins. Add the remaining garlic, lemon and herb seasoning and cook for 1 min.
Add the sugar and water for the broth (see pantry for both amounts), passata, cannellini beans and red wine stock paste. Season with salt and pepper, stir to combine and bring to the boil.
Lower the heat to medium and simmer until slightly reduced, 5-6 mins. Then, add the spinach to the soup a handful at a time, stirring until wilted, 1-2 mins.
When the meatballs are ready, add to the soup and stir to combine. Taste, and season with salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
Share Nonna's meatball soup between your bowls. Finish with a sprinkling of hard Italian style cheese.
Enjoy!