Quick as a flash!

These 15 dinners can be whipped up in a jiffy - before the power goes out!

- Johané Neilson

Bean soup with meatballs

Serves 6. Preparation: 30 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes

1 Heat 30ml of the oil in a medium-sized pot and fry the onion, leeks, carrots and celery until glossy (at least 5 minutes, 10 if time allows).

2 In the meantime, remove the sausage casings from the bangers and roll the meat into tiny meatballs. Aim for 6–8 per sausage; this should be the perfect size for the soup.

3 Stir the garlic, beans, tomatoes and stock into the soup; simmer for 20 minutes. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper. Also check the texture (I like to purée half the soup with a stick blender).

4 Meanwhile, fry the meatballs in the rest of the olive oil until golden brown and cooked through. Then add to the soup with the fragrant oil or divide the meatballs between dished-up portions. A sprinkling of fresh herbs or a dollop of basil pesto is an optional extra.

Tips

• Chop the vegetables small to enhance the flavour during the short cooking time. The preparation may take 5 minutes longer, but it’s worth the effort.

• If you don’t want to make meatballs, bake the whole pork sausages in your air fryer for about 15 minutes (or until cooked) at 180°C while the soup simmers and simply slice the cooked sausages before serving. Remember to turn the sausages in the air fryer halfway through the cooking time.

• Crispy fried bacon is also delicious in the soup.