1. Start with the meatballs. Peel the onion and garlic and dice finely. Heat up a frying pan with some oil and sauté the onion and garlic until soft and glossy. Remove from the heat and add to a bowl. Let cool down a bit.

2. Add the ground meat to the bowl, as well as the chopped parsley, dried oregano, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, and egg. Season well with salt and pepper and mix everything until well combined. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then make small (bit smaller than walnuts) meatballs out of the mixture.

3. Heat up the frying pan again with some more oil and fry the meatballs in several batches until nicely browned from all sides – takes about 3-5 minutes per batch. Take out and let drain on a piece of kitchen paper.

4. Prepare the rest of the veggies for the soup. Peel and dice the onion and garlic finely. Clean the celery and carrots and dice/cut into slices. Heat up a large (cast iron) pot with some oil, add the diced onion, and sauté until soft and glossy. Add the garlic, celery, and carrots and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes until the veggies are a bit softer. Add the chunky tomatoes, tomato passata, veggie broth, Italian herbs, and oregano. Season well with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs and pasta and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is “al dente”. Season with some more salt and pepper if needed and serve with some chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.