This hearty tomato bean soup with meatballs is one of the cosiest meals imaginable. It is made with black and red beans, sweet carrots, tomato base and brilliant pork meatballs which are made in no time. The warm touch of spices makes it a perfect dish on a cold or rainy day.
I enjoy this soup because it’s a bit different from other soups that I made or ate, like my pancake soup, celery apple soup or this Brussels sprouts coconut udon noodle soup. For one thing, I combined a tomato base with some beef broth and white wine. The soup gets a deepness, warmth, and sweetness with a bit of sourness. Oh, simply amazing.
As you’ll see, there is a lot going on in this soup. Firstly, beans and carrots give you fibre, proteins and vitamins. Secondly, a good amount of warm spices, makes you feel warm inside. Thirdly, some white wine and fresh parsley enrich the flavour. And what makes the whole dish simply perfect, are these pork meatballs.
Simple meatballs
Yes, I was craving a hearty soup with meatballs. I think meatballs pair wonderfully with a hearty soup. I just had to make them. These meatballs are made with pork meat, finely chopped onion, salt, fresh parsley and some rolled oats. I also used an egg yolk, which I had spare from baking a pillowy-soft bread filled with walnuts.
Anyway, these pork meatballs are very simple but, at the same time, extremely tasty. I fried them just long enough to get that golden-brown crust and then removed them immediately. Oh, amazing. The crispy crust and a juicy, tender centre. Use beef or any other meat you prefer, but make sure it stays moist inside. Wink. You might check also this recipe: carrot soup with spicy meatballs.
The meatballs had a size of a golf ball. But you can make smaller or larger ones if you prefer. The smaller the faster they’ll cook. But there is also the chance they’ll get dry quicker. Making them medium-sized, the juicy centre is assured.
Dried beans and spices
And once again, I used dried beans. The same that I used in this beef black-eyed peas stew or this black bean celery soup. They look cute and they taste lovely. Before cooking them, I soaked them in some cold water overnight. However, you can add them directly to the pot and cook the soup a bit longer. If you are in a hurry, simply use canned beans. The soup will taste delicious, as well. Wink.
For the warm heat, I combined cayenne pepper and garam masala. Oh, I love them. As known, cayenne pepper is great to add heat to the dish, but it also works nicely with other spices and flavours. On the other hand, garam masala can be anything, from mild to very hot. In either case, it’s a warm spice. Besides adding warmth, it also adds sweetness and floral notes.
Ingredients for 4-5 portions of hearty tomato bean soup with meatballs:
- 1 Tbsp of chili oil
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (sliced)
- 130 ml white wine (30 ml for deglaze)
- 200 g carrots
- 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp of garam masala
- 100 g dried red beans (soaked overnight)
- 100 g dried black beans (soaked overnight)
- 3 spring onions
- 400 g canned pelati
- 15 g tomato paste
- 1000 ml beef or vegetable broth
- sea salt
- 30 g fresh parsley (and some for garnish)
Ingredients for about 16 meatballs:
- 500 g ground pork
- sea salt and pepper
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 20 g fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1 egg (optional)
- 20-30 g rolled oats
- sunflower oil for frying (half cm high)
To begin, peel and chop the onion, slice the garlic and wash and cut the carrots. In a larger pot, drizzle the chili oil. Once warm, add the onions and garlic and saute them until soft. Then, deglaze with a splash of wine.
Afterwards, stir in the carrots, cayenne pepper and garam masala. Cook for a couple of minutes and after the spices have released their aroma, add the beans (drained), chopped spring onions, tomato paste and pelati (lightly smash them). Last but not least, pour in the warm beef or vegetable broth, the remaining wine, season with sea salt and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and simmer for 2 hours or until the beans get tender.
Pork meatballs
In the meantime, prepare the pork meatballs. Finely chop the onion and parsley. Also, if you are going to use the egg, beat it with a fork. In a medium bowl, combine pork meat, onion, parsley, egg, oats, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Then, cover the bowl with cling film foil and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Furthermore, take the meatball mixture out of the fridge. With damp hands, shape the pork mixture into 16 equal-sized balls. Place them on a plate lined with baking paper and let them sit at room temperature (during the summer season place them in the fridge) until ready to fry.
When the soup is ready, prepare the meatballs. In a medium frying pan, with high walls, or in a saucepan, add about half a centimetre of sunflower oil and heat it up. After the oil is hot, carefully place in the meatballs.
Fry them to golden brown on all sides. Then, transfer the meatballs onto some paper towels to absorb the oil.
Finally, ladle the hot soup onto the plates and top each plate with three or four pork meatballs. Sprinkle it with some fresh chopped parsley. Serve this hearty bean soup with meatballs to your family and friends, for lunch or dinner.
Enjoy.
