Italian meatball soup

nabowla

I'm sitting here eating Pret a Manger's Italian meatball soup as I type (I know, I know.......all I can say in my defence is that I've been out of the house between 6.20am and 7.30pm or later every day this week and the slow cooker's not arrived yet!)

It tastes fantastic. The main ingredients are meat and a thick tomato-based stock (possibly tinned toms blended with meat stock?) It also contains onion, very finely chopped celery and fresh herbs. In addition, there are a couple of 'mystery' ingredients that make it taste very slightly sweet but not in a sugary sort of way.

Anyway, the reason for this post is that I'm trying to find a recipe for meatball soup so that I can make it at home and freeze individual portions. Has anyone got any recipes or any ideas what else might be in the soup that makes it taste so yummy?

ribenagirl

Could it be a spice or something? If I'm making something meaty I'll quite often add a touch of nutmeg or even cinnamon just to perk up the flavour a bit?

Can you taste it in the meatballs, or in the soup itself?

arkonite_babe

No results for a copy of Pret A manger's version of the soup, but a search of Ask produced these results HERE

Meatball soup isn't one I've heard of before. Is there an ingredients list on the packaging? Could you experiment with that yourself? Might be worth a try and at least you won't have all the additives in it!!

Caterina

Could there be nutmeg in the meatballs, to give it a slightly sweet-spicy taste? I would put nutmeg in the meatballs in tomato SAUCE recipe, but never heard of soup before (perhaps just a diluted version of the sauce ones!).

If you want the recipe for the above pls let me know. Thanks

Caterina

nabowla

Whatever it is, it isn't nutmeg. I can recognise that a mile off - it's one of my favourites. I'll have a read through the Ask results this evening. Also, I wouldn't mind having your meatballs recipe Caterina - it sounds yummy!

richUK

random thread refresh from the past..

I just scanned the barcode on my Tesco 'Italian Meatball Soup Meal' and it told me it was from Pret.. so.. assuming that the recipe was never discovered, here's the ingredients from the Tesco label..

tomato, cooked pasta, tomato juice, onion, cooked port meatballs (3.5%), celery, carrot, tomato puree, cooked meatball crumb, garlic puree, salt, vegetable oil, red pepper paste, sugar, cornflower, herbs, black pepper, fennel seed, ground bayleaf, red chilli.

there's more info on the specific ingredients of the cooked produce too..

Queenie_Girl

Reviving an old thread. I LOVE this soup, the meatballs are amazing. Anyone out there who has had it and know how to make it. I have made meatballs before but they come out quite hard. The Pret ones are pork and beef mix, but beautifully soft.

Please help.