Minestrone soup with pork meatballs

Serves: 4

Time to make: 35 mins

Hands-on time: 15 mins

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 stalks celery, finely diced
2 carrots, scrubbed, grated
1 large leek, green leaves removed
400g can chopped tomatoes in juice
1 litre water
Pork balls
400g lean pork mince
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 egg, whisked
400g can butter beans, drained, rinsed
½ cup shredded parmesan cheese

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Instructions

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1 Heat oil in a large saucepan. Gently fry celery and carrots. Cover and cook for a few minutes. Cut leek in half lengthways and wash to remove dirt. Finely slice leek. Rinse to remove excess dirt. Add leek to vegetables. Stir, cover then simmer for a few minutes.

2 Add tomatoes and water. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.

3 To make meatballs, place mince, garlic and egg in a bowl. Mix well with a fork then use wet hands to shape into teaspoon-sized meatballs.

4 Drop meatballs into soup and add beans. Stir to mix. Turn up heat while stirring to keep balls separate. They will rise to the top when cooked.

5 Remove balls and divide among 4 deep soup bowls. Ladle soup over and sprinkle with a little parmesan to serve.

Variations

For extra flavour, use canned tomatoes with added herbs. Or flavour pork with fresh herbs such as oregano, marjoram or basil and ground black pepper.

HFG tip

This recipe freezes well.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 301 cal

Kilojoules 1260 kJ

Protein 31 g

Total fat 16 g

Saturated fat 6 g

Carbohydrates 10 g

Sugar 7 g

Dietary fibre 4 g

Sodium 260 mg

Calcium 230 mg

Iron 4 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.