Ricotta, Lemon and Garlic Meatballs with Green Veg Broth

There's nothing quite like a steaming bowl of deliciousness when the weather's a bit naff to warm your soul. This broth is flavoured with garlic and bay leaves whilst the meatballs are packed with creamy ricotta, fresh mint and zingy lemon for a tasty but light flavour kick.

To make this a proper meal, I added a good handful of bulgur wheat but you can leave this out and just have some crusty bread instead. Or, even better, add some pasta and this becomes a twist on minestrone. The best thing about this recipe is that you can adapt it year-round to use up whatever veg is in season.

Ricotta, Lemon and Garlic Meatballs with Green Veg Broth

Serves 4

For the meatballs:

oil

500g mince (lamb, beef or turkey work well)

100g ricotta

50g dry breadcrumbs

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 lemon, zest only

1 large egg

15g mint leaves, finely chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the broth:

600ml chicken or vegetable stock

3 bay leaves

1 garlic bulb, cut in half through the middle

350g mixed green veg, finely chopped if needed (sugar snap peas, mangetout, frozen peas)

large handful of grains (quinoa or bulgur wheat)

Preheat the oven to 150C fan/170C/gas 3 and line a baking tray with foil. Drizzle a little oil and rub it so it's covered.

Mix together all of the meatball ingredients in a bowl - get your hands in there and really give everything a good mush together! Roll the mixture into walnut sized balls - it helps if you wet your hands a bit so the mixture doesn't stick and put on the prepared baking tray. You should get  around 20 meatballs. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the stock, bay leaves and garlic to the boil then reduce the temperature and add the grains. Cook for 5 minutes on a low simmer. When the meatballs are cooked, add them to the broth together with the mixed veg. Continue to cook for 10 minutes with a lid on until the veg is just cooked. 

Pick out the bay leaves and garlic skins, season to taste with salt and pepper then divide between bowls and enjoy.