This great recipe from Not Quite Nigella is great for dinners on cold weeknights. It utilizes orzo, which makes the soup more filling, and meatballs, which you could prepare ahead or make in bulk for use in other dishes at a later time.

Here’s what you’ll need to create Full-Bodied Tomato Soup with Crispy Meatball Croutons:

For Soup:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
• 2x 400g tins of tomatoes or 800g of fresh tomatoes blanched, skins removed and chopped
• 140g tin of tomato paste
• 1 liter beef or vegetable stock
• 100g orzo (rice shaped pasta)

For Meatballs:

• 150g good quality Italian sausages, skins removed
• 1 egg
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 150g fresh breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons of oil for frying

Head over to Not Quite Nigella for full instructions.

To make this dish even more frugal, a gai shan life used this recipe but omitted the meatballs. Thanks to them for the heads up on this recipe!