Hearty Italian Meatball and Vegetable Soup

This is the soup I make when the fridge looks bare but I still want something that feels like a proper dinner. The meatballs are the reason it works. Rolled oats blitzed to a fine crumb do the job that breadcrumbs usually do, soaking up a little moisture so the meatballs stay tender rather than dense. If you are cooking gluten free, almond meal does the same job and tastes lovely with the parsley.

Italian-style soups like this one grew out of cooking that made the most of whatever was in the cupboard. A pot of beans, a few vegetables and some stock could feed a family, and a handful of meat was enough to flavour the whole thing. That is the spirit here. The meat is there for character, and the beans, mushrooms and greens carry most of the bulk.

A few things I've learned from making it often. Mushrooms are worth the extra chopping. They release their own savoury juices as they cook, which means you can use less salt and still get a rich, rounded broth. Cook them until they have given up their liquid and it has mostly evaporated before the tomatoes go in. Dropping the meatballs into a gently simmering pot rather than a rolling boil keeps them from breaking apart. And if you are using silverbeet rather than baby spinach, pull out the thick white stalks and shred the leaves finely, then give them an extra minute so they soften.

Cannellini beans are a good pantry choice for this soup. They are soft and creamy once heated through, and they thicken the broth slightly without any flour. Rinsing the canned beans well takes away the starchy liquid they sit in, so the soup tastes cleaner.

Leftovers keep well for about three days in the fridge. The meatballs firm up a little, but they reheat nicely in the broth. I would not freeze the greens, though. They go limp and dull, so if you think you will want to freeze a portion, leave the spinach out and add fresh greens when you reheat.

For serving, a slice of wholegrain bread to mop up the broth is my favourite. If you want something lighter, a simple green salad with lemon and olive oil on the side works well. For something to go alongside the soup, try Sweet and Tender Roasted Carrots if you have extra carrots about, or a bowl of Chawli and Garden Vegetable Soup if you want a second soup on the table for a crowd. A small bowl of Fresh Herb and Garlic Bean Dip with raw vegetable sticks also makes a good starter while the pot simmers.