Italian meatball soup

Serves: 4

Time to make: 40 mins

Ingredients

500g lean beef mince
1 small red onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup fresh white breadcrumbs
½ cup finely chopped basil
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 ¾ cups tomato pasta sauce with basil
4 cups quality chicken stock
½ cup risoni pasta
2 courgettezucchiniXszucchini, summer squashX, diced
150g green beans, cut into thirds

Instructions

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1 Combine mince, onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, basil and egg in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, mix well. Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls. Place on a large plate.

2 Pour tomato sauce, stock and 2 cups water into a deep saucepan. Cover, bring to the boil and then add meatballs and return to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered.

3 Add risoni and cook for 5 minutes. Add courgettes and beans. Cook for 5 minutes, or until risoni and veges are tender.

4 Serve with parmesan and crusty Italian bread.

Recipe supplied by Healthy Food Guide reader, Sally Gin (Auckland)

Variations

You could put lots of different vegetables into the soup, like carrots, leeks or even potatoes.
Try using lean pork or chicken mince for a change of flavour.

HFG tip

Sally says: "This is an adaptation of one of my friend's recipes. We share recipes amongst ourselves. It's a very nice recipe for winter dinners!"

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 356 cal

Kilojoules 1490 kJ

Protein 17.6 g

Total fat 13.3 g

Saturated fat 4.9 g

Carbohydrates 22 g

Sugar 8.3 g

Dietary fibre 4.5 g

Sodium 495 mg

Calcium 115 mg

Iron 6.7 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.