200gramsspaghetti pastaor noodles/vermicelli, uncooked. Or replace with rice, quinoa or orzo. Prepare more if feeding hungry people.
1 ½limequarter one of the limes, and squeeze the juice out of the other half, or replace with lemon
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180 Fan / 200 Celsius / 392 Fahrenheit / Gas 6.
Place the sliced courgettes/zucchini and whole cherry tomatoes onto a baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside until required.
Meanwhile prepare the soup:
Either heat the olive oil or veggie stock over a medium heat in a soup pan.
If using oil cook the onion for 5 minutes, stir frequently, and then add the garlic for 1 minute.
If using veggie stock, gently simmer the onion and garlic for 6 minutes.
Add the carrot and potato. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
Mix through the tomato paste, chilli powder, coriander/cilantro, and oregano. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Add the veggie meat balls and cook and stir for 1 minute.
Pour in the passata and vegan stock. Add a few pinches of salt and some black pepper.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes.
Add the cherry tomatoes and courgette, cook for 5 minutes.
Adjust seasoning to taste.
Divide the spaghetti noodles between the serving bowls. Ladle over the soup.
Serve with a wedge of lime or lemon to squeeze into the soup for a fresh zingy kick.
Notes
Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict analysis as ingredients vary.
Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Or frozen in a freezer container for 4-6 months.
Leftovers can be reheated by popping into a pan and bringing to a simmer. Reheat for 3-5 minutes until piping hot throughout. Any leftover spaghetti can be added to the soup and heated simultaneously.
Defrost completely before reheating.
Leftovers are very tasty for next days lunch.
For a gluten-free meatball soup choose gluten-free vegan meatballs, gluten-free stock and gluten-free spaghetti, pasta or noodles.
Replace the vegan meatballs with chopped up cooked vegan burgers or sausages, or chestnut/button/regular mushrooms, or medium sized tomatoes. Simply pop the mushrooms or tomatoes into the soup at the time the meatballs would be added, or roast along with the cherry tomatoes and courgettes. Pop the roasted mushrooms or tomatoes in the soup 5 minutes before serving.
Or simply sub in a can of drained borlotti, cannellini, pinto or butterbeans.
I recommended using dried Mexican oregano if available as this herb provides lemony citrus flavours whereas regular Italian oregano lends more minty notes. But any variety is perfectly fine.
I have included a link to a Mexican oregano that can be purchased from Amazon UK above within the recipe ingredient list. This is the one that I use.