Italian Meatball Soup

1. Plain white sandwich bread is best for this, but you can substitute with other breads. Tear them into small pieces with your hands, and do not include the crust. You can use slightly stale bread. If you prefer, you can substitute with 1/2 cup breadcrumbs - preferably panko. But the meatballs won't be as soft!

2. Pork is slightly fattier than beef so it helps make these extra juicy. I only use 3 1/2 oz / 100 g because pork has less flavour than beef and I don't want to dilute the flavour. This isn't hugely critical though and you should feel free to just use 1 lb / 500 g beef mince which is what I do on ordinary nights. 🙂

3. You can substitute with 1 1/2 tbsp dried parsley, or a mix of equal amounts of dried oregano, thyme, basil and parsley. You could also use an Italian herb mix if you wanted to.

4. Tomato passata is just pureed tinned tomatoes and it's great because it's smoother and thicker than crushed tomatoes. Nowadays it is readily available in supermarkets, usually alongside pasta sauces. If you can't find it, puree canned tomatoes or use crushed canned tomatoes.

5. You can substitute with a mix of equal amounts of dried oregano, thyme, basil and parsley.

6. Here's how I roll meatballs - measure out heaped tablepoons of mixture and pop them onto a plate with the flick of your wrist. Repeat with all the mixture. THEN wet your hands slightly and roll them one by one. I find this faster than measuring and rolling each one separately. 🙂 Don't over roll them! They will become tough!

7. Meatballs firm when refrigerated and it helps ensure they hold together when cooked. This step isn't required in my Italian Meatballsrecipe which are cooked in a non stick pan. But I don't have a non stick pot!

8. If you have leftovers, I suggest removing the spaghetti and keeping it separate because otherwise it will become very bloated.

9.Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.