We've added chicken sausage meatballs to this classic Italian soup to make a sustaining but light meal for any time of the year. See more lighter world soups below the recipe on this page and also see Warren's global soup feature here.
Ingredients
| 4 | Chicken sausages, meat squeezed out, casings discarded (Main) |
| 1 | Lemon, zested, squeeze of juice to serve |
| 1 small handful | Chopped thyme |
| 3 Tbsp | Panko breadcrumbs |
| 2 | Baby leeks, thinly sliced |
| 2 small | Carrots, thinly sliced |
| 2 | Courgettes, thinly sliced |
| 3 cloves | Garlic, crushed in 1 tsp sea salt |
| 1 splash | Olive oil, to soften vegetables |
| ½ cup | Orzo (Main) |
| 4 cups | Chicken stock, more, if needed, to thin soup (Main) |
| 1 | Bay leaf, use up to 3 of them |
| 1 handful | Finely chopped spring onion, or use finely chopped bok choy or spinach |
| 1 handful | Chopped parsley, to serve |
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Directions
- Into a bowl, put sausage meat, lemon zest, chopped thyme, panko crumbs and a good grind of black pepper and mix all together. Roll into small meatballs. Chill.
- In a pan with a splash of olive oil, gently fry leeks, carrots and courgettes with crushed garlic to just soften vegetables. Add orzo, chicken stock and a bay leaf (or 3) and simmer until pasta and vegetables are tender. Leave to rest for flavours to develop.
- To serve, reheat soup, adding more stock as needed, with a handful of finely sliced spring greens (spring onions, bok choy, baby spinach). Add meatballs and simmer until cooked. Check seasoning and garnish with parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
