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Italian wedding Soup
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Vegan Italian Wedding Soup

Vegan Italian wedding soup, an easy Neapolitan soup made with fregola pasta / couscous, spinach and plant based sausage meatballs in a light and savory homemade broth. It's hearty, comforting, delicious, egg-free and dairy-free.
Course Soup
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Italian wedding soup, Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 141kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat a heavy bottom soup pot. Add a light drizzle of olive oil (or veggie stock) and sautee the grated carrot for a few minutes.
    1 carrot
  • Add the rosemary, bay leaf, thyme, nutritional yeast and pour in the veggie broth. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes to concentrate the flavors. Taste and adjust seasonings with a pinch of sea salt to taste.
    8 cups vegetable stock, 1 sprig rosemary, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 5 sprigs thyme
  • Turn up the heat a little bit so the broth is at a boiling point. Add the fregola couscous and stir well. Cook for 15 to 18 minutes as instructed on the package. (Pearled couscous can be used instead of fregola if need be).
    1 cup fregola pasta
  • Once the pasta is al dente adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Add the baby spinach and stir to immerse under the broth. Turn off the heat and cover with the lid for the steam to wilt the spinach while you work on the “meatballs”.
    3 cups baby spinach + more, S & P to taste

Make the Vegan Meatballs

  • Cut each sausage into 6 pieces and roll into a "meatball". Preheat a cast iron skillet with a lug of olive oil and pan sear the “meatballs” until golden all over. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
    3-4 links vegan Italian sausage, Olive oil as needed
  • Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with the sausage meatballs on top, freshly cracked black pepper or red chili flakes.

Notes

  • Spinach  - I love using baby spinach here as it wilts so quickly and packs tons of nutrition. Escarole or endive can be used instead, keep in mind it is a more bitter green.
  • Herbs - Although I used a homemade broth I still added rosemary, bay and thyme to boost up the soup flavor. You can get really nice flavor from just a sprig rosemary, I happened to have a little bit of everything that say so I used some.
  • Carrot - Peel and grate is my favorite way to add carrots to soups lately. You get that mild sweetness in the broth but also a deeper golden color that is just so appetizing in my opinion.
  • The "vegan meatballs" - Nothing fancy but super delicious! I used Beyond Italian sausage shape into tiny meatballs "polpette" and pan fried until golden. Hold off adding them to the soup until serving so they hold their crisp exterior and soft center.
  • Nutritional Yeast - It's optional but I like to add it to most soups for nutrition and umami flavor, instead of a parmesan rind. If you haven't already, I definitely recommend adding it to your pantry staples. 
  • Storage & Reheating - As this soup is all about the marriage of flavors, it can be refrigerated up to 5 days and reheated gently on the stovetop. You can expect it to taste better with each passing day. Store leftover "meatballs" in a separate container so they don't get soggy in the broth, better yet just make them as you intend to serve for the ultimate texture.

Nutrition

Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 1275mg | Potassium: 219mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3815IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg