Recipe | Courgette, Broad Bean and Feta Orzo with Pork Meatballs

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Even though I meal plan every week, I still find myself including the same recipes over and over – and as much as we love some of those favourite dishes, it can get a little bit boring eating them every single week! Sometimes I browse through cookbooks for inspiration, making a list of new recipes that I could try out. The problem with that is that often, I have to buy a whole load of new ingredients – of which I’ll only use a tiny amount. That’s ok if we happen to love the dish and want to eat if often. But when we don’t, those products sit on the pantry shelves for months and months going to waste.

HelloFresh offer weekly recipe boxes – suitable for 2-4 people, meat based meals or vegetarian, and they even offer a family box {for 2 adults and 2 children}! Every week, the HelloFresh chefs create new recipes with photos of every step for you to cook quick, tasty,healthy meals at home. Each box comes with everything you need to make each recipe, so you don’t have to buy any extras or have any waste.

One of their recipes, created by HelloFresh chef Mimi, is this amazing sounding Courgette, Broad Bean and Feta Orzo with Pork Meatballs – I’ll certainly be trying it out soon!

I N G R E D I E N T S {FOR 3 PEOPLE}

Broad Beans, podded 300g
Orzo 180g
Red Onion, chopped 1
water 400ml
Courgette, chopped 1
Vegetable Stock Pot 1/2
Garlic Clove, grated 1
Feta Cheese 1/2 block
Mint, chopped 1/2 bunch
Lemon 1/2
Pork and Oregano Sausage 250g
Steve’s Leaves: Pea Shoots 1 bag

D I R E C T I O N S

1 | First, let’s get podding! Slit each broad bean pod along the seam with a knife or your nails if you have long ones! Tip: Be gentle though, you don’t want to cut the broad beans! Run your thumb along the furry inside to push the broad beans out.
2 | Cut the red onion in half through the root, peel and chop into roughly ½cm pieces. Cut the bottom and tops off the courgette and then in half lengthways, cut each half into four long strips then chop into 1cm chunks. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press if you have one). Pull the mint leaves off their stalks and roughly chop.
3 | Slit each sausage in half and discard the skin. Roll the sausage meat into meatballs (five per person) and leave to the side. HelloFresh chef Mimi’s top top: Bind Your Meatballs: It’s really important to bind your meatballs with egg and either breadcrumbs, crackers or flour – this makes them firm and strong, rather than weak and crumbly.
4 | Put your onion in a large frying pan with a drizzle of oil on medium heat. Cook for 4 mins then add your courgette, a good pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Cook for another 6-7 mins before adding your garlic. Stir together and cook for 1 minute, then pour in the orzo. Stir until your orzo is well coated in the garlicky oil, then pour in the water (as specified in the ingredient list above) and the vegetable stock pot.
5 | Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve your stock pot, then turn the heat down to low and simmer away (don’t let it boil rapidly!), for 10 mins, or until your orzo is ‘al dente’ and the liquid has been absorbed. Tip: ‘Al dente’ simply means the pasta is cooked through but has a tiny bit of firmness left in the middle. Stir every couple of mins to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan! Tip: If all the liquid has been absorbed and the orzo is not quite cooked, just add 50ml of water and keep cooking (repeat this if you need to).
6 | While your orzo is cooking, add your meatballs to a frying pan on medium heat with a drizzle of oil. Cook for 8-9 mins until they are browned and cooked through. Tip: The meatballs are cooked when no longer pink in the middle. Remove the pan from the heat.#
7 | When your orzotto is 4 mins from being ready, add your broad beans to the pan to cook for the last 4 mins, then remove the pan from the heat. Crumble the feta into the pan along with your mint and stir together. Taste and add some salt and pepper if you feel it needs it.
8 | Squeeze some lemon juice into a bowl with a drizzle of oil, a pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Add the pea shoots to the bowl and toss together.
9 | Serve your orzo in bowls with your meatballs and pea shoots on top. Enjoy!

 

This September, HelloFresh’s chefs Patrick, Mimi, Victoria and Andre are challenging home cooks to become top chefs in 21 days, providing exclusive access to a database of delicious recipes and expert tips. The chefs will also be hosting a series of live Facebook cook-a-long events and Twitter Q&A’s direct from the Fresh Farm at the London based HelloFresh HQ. Sign up here to get exclusive access to the recipes and online events.

4 Comments

  1. Gill Crawshaw

    September 12, 2016 at 20:47

    Oooh looks so tasty! We’re just about to try out Hello Fresh, the first box arrived today. It was pretty much like Christmas! Can’t wait to get started x

  2. Nell (the Pigeon Pair and Me)

    September 16, 2016 at 13:03

    This looks soooooo amazing! One of those dishes that are as good for you as they are delicious.

  3. Laura

    September 20, 2016 at 12:00

    I have tried Hello Fresh once before and loved it. I don’t eat meat but this could easily be adapted and I know John would eat all of this up just as it is – so healthy and delicious

    Laura x

  4. laura redburn

    September 20, 2016 at 13:39

    i can’t eat feta, but regardless, this looks delicious!

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