One Pot Lean Beef Meatball, Tomato & Pepper Orzo

Boil a kettle

Chop your parsley finely, including the stalks

Add your lean beef mince to a bowl with half the chopped parsley, half your grated Italian hard cheese (save the rest for garnish!), a drizzle of olive oil and a very generous pinch of salt and pepper and mix thoroughly to combine (clean hands is the best way!), then divide the mixture and shape into 5 meatballs per person

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick with a matching lid), with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a high heat

Once hot, add the meatballs and cook for 2 min on each side, until lightly browned all over

Once done, transfer the browned meatballs to a plate and set aside

Reserve the pan

Whilst the meatballs are browning, peel and finely chop your shallot[s]

Return the reserved pan to a medium heat with a knob of butter and add the chopped shallot with a generous pinch of salt

Cook for 4-5 min or until beginning to soften

Whilst the shallot is softening, peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Top, tail and chop your courgette[s] into quarters lengthways, then into bite-sized pieces

Deseed your pepper[s] (scrape the seeds and pith out with a teaspoon) and chop roughly

Dissolve your stock mix in 400ml [520ml] [700ml] boiled water

Once the shallot has softened, add the chopped garlic, courgette, pepper and your orzo and cook for 1 min, stirring to coat everything in the oil

Add the stock with your chopped tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and a generous grind of pepper and give everything a good mix up and bring to boil over a high-heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, top the orzo with the browned meatballs and cook, covered, for 12-15 min or until the orzo is tender and the meatballs are cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your one pot lean beef meatball, tomato & pepper orzo

Tip: Stir the orzo every couple of minutes to stop it from sticking!