Quick and Easy Slow Cooker Meatball Soup

Ingredients:
Half a large bag of frozen Lidl or IKEA Swedish meatballs (about 30 meatballs)
Riso or Orzo pasta (I use De Cecco Riso or Tesco Orzo, but you could also use rice if you prefer.)
a 400g Jar or carton of good Italian passata (I use Mutti)
a half-sized tin (227g) of chopped Italian tomatoes
1 tin of Italian Borlotti beans with their juice (pinto beans can be used to substitute)
1 pint of water
1 Knorr rich beef gel stockpot (made into 1 full pint of stock)
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 large clove or 2 small cloves of garlic (pressed)
pink salt to taste
A large slow cooker (crockpot)
Cooking time:  3 hours


I came up with this recipe because I was sick with a sinus infection and had been laid up and unable to cook for a couple of days.  I didn't fancy any quick processed-type foods, but wanted something wholesome without having to stand in the kitchen for a long period.  This took me 8 minutes to throw together off the cuff, using things I almost always have in my press.  It turned out even nicer than anticipated and my son and husband were absolutely mad about it.  We served this with toasted bagels and tend to eat smaller portions than many people we know, but we found that this amount will feed the 3 of us for 2 nights, so you could certainly feed a family of 4 or 5 with it.  Just throw everything in, walk away and relax until it's cooked.  It's great for a wet and blustery evening or a day when you're not feeling well but want something good to eat.  It's so thick and filling - almost like having a bowl of chilli, but with lovely Italian flavours.


Method:
Put a small amount of grapeseed or olive oil into a pan and toss the meatballs in it on a medium heat for about 4 minutes, before turning over and cooking for a further 4 minutes.  This is simply to seal them off for better flavour and to prevent them turning mushy in the soup.  During the 8 minutes these are cooking, you will be able to prepare the entire rest of the dish.  Use the Knorr beef stockpot to make a full pint of stock.  Pour the stock into the slow cooker, along with an additional full pint of water, the passata, the tomatoes, the borlotti beans, the basil and oregano, the pressed garlic and a dash or two of pink salt.  Add the meatballs to the mixture, stir, set the slow cooker to high and leave for 2 hours.  After the 2 hours have passed, throw in about 165g to 170g of riso or orzo pasta and leave to cook for one more hour.  Serve with some grated cheddar on top and some bread or crackers on the side.  Enjoy!