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Recipe: tomato meatball soup

| September 19, 2024

An illustration of a bowl of savory tomato meatball soup in front of a red arch, surrounded by dried flowers. The text "TOMATO MEATBALL SOUP" is at the bottom, with "September 2024" below it.
An illustration of a bowl of savory tomato meatball soup in front of a red arch, surrounded by dried flowers. The text “TOMATO MEATBALL SOUP” is at the bottom, with “September 2024” below it.

An illustration of a bowl of savory tomato meatball soup in front of a red arch, surrounded by dried flowers. The text "TOMATO MEATBALL SOUP" is at the bottom, with "September 2024" below it.

As fall approaches, a new chapter begins for many of us. For some, it is the final milestone before embarking on an exciting journey into adulthood. For others, it is the start of your college years, where stories from your early 20s await. Regardless, many of us struggle to find our footing at the start of the school term, and so, what better way to establish a routine than by meal prepping with a comforting and hearty dish?

Tools: 

A large soup pot 

Spatula and ladle 

Ingredients: 

2 Italian sausages

6-8 tomatoes 

1 shallot, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3-4 leaves of basil 

1 tbsp of tomato paste 

½ cup of heavy cream 

1 box of pasta; preferably short pasta shapes like fusilli, rigatoni or cavatappi

Olive oil 

Salt and black pepper 

Optional: ½-1 cup of instant chicken broth

Instructions: 

To make the meatballs, remove the sausage stuffing from its casing by slicing a line down the middle of the sausage. Roll the stuffing into one-inch balls and set aside. Prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the packaging and once done, set aside. 

In a pot of water, boil the tomatoes at medium to high heat until softened. Run the tomatoes under cold water to cool off. Once cooled, peel the tomatoes and slice them into quarters so they are easier to break down later. In a soup pot, combine the sliced shallots, garlic, oil, tomato paste, and meatballs. Cook at high heat or until the exterior of the meatballs are no longer pink. Turn the heat to medium and pour in the tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes with a spatula until they reach a liquid consistency. Then, pour in the heavy cream. For a less creamy soup, add some instant chicken broth according to preference. Salt and pepper the soup to taste, and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Then, combine the cooked pasta and basil. 

As the trees transition to a new collage of colours, some of us are adjusting to a closing chapter of our lives, while others are beginning a new and unfamiliar journey. No matter where we are in our lives, we all need something familiar and heartwarming, like this soup, to bring comfort amidst waves of changes.

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