CHEAT’S MINESTRONE WITH MEATBALLS

SERVES 6

PREP + COOKING TIME 1 HOUR

• 6 (675 g) Italian-style pork sausages

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium brown onion, chopped coarsely

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• ¼ cup (70 g) tomato paste

• 6 cups (1.5ℓ) water

• 2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock

• 22∕3 cups (700g) passata (Italian cooking sauce)

• 1 stalk celery, trimmed and chopped coarsely

• 1 medium carrot, chopped coarsely

• 1 medium baby marrow, chopped coarsely

• 80 g green beans, trimmed and sliced diagonally

• 1 x 400 g tin borlotti beans, drained and rinsed

• ¾ cup (135 g) macaroni

• salt and pepper to taste

TO SERVE

• 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh small basil leaves

• 1/3 cup (25 g) shaved Parmesan

1. Squeeze sausage meat from casings into a medium bowl; discard casings. Using wet hands, roll sausage meat into 2 cm meatballs. Heat half the oil in a large saucepan over mediumhigh heat; cook meatballs, turning, for 5 minutes or until browned all over. Remove from the pan.

2. Heat remaining oil in the same pan; cook onion and garlic, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion softens. Add tomato paste; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add water, stock and passata; bring to the boil.

3. Add celery to the pan; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add carrot, baby marrow and green beans; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until carrot is tender. Return meatballs to the pan with borlotti beans and pasta; simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Season.

4. Serve minestrone topped with basil and Parmesan shavings.