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Warm up on a chilly night with a bowl of this Vegan Italian Wedding Soup. It's brimming with veggies, pasta pearls, and savory vegan meatballs. It's a cinch to make and you can use homemade or store-bought vegan meatballs.
After perfecting my Vegan Meatballs a few weeks ago, I realized that the possibilities were endless now. I'm talking Meatball Subs, Swedish Meatballs, Meatball Vegan Pizza and this Vegan Italian Wedding Soup.
This was a childhood favorite of mine, and I haven't tried a vegan version until now. What was I waiting for? This is GOOD!
Seriously, who wouldn't love pasta and meatballs together in a savory broth? **Crickets** It's pure comfort and I just can't get enough!
HOW DO I MAKE VEGAN ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP?
(full ingredient amount in recipe card below)
- Sauté onions, celery, and carrots until slightly tender.
- Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute until lightly browned.
- Now add the thyme and cook for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the pasta broth, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a medium simmer and cook until pasta is al dente about 10 minutes.
- Now add the kale and cook for 1-2 minutes to soften. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed.
- Add meatballs to the serving bowls and ladle soup on top.
WHAT GOES WITH VEGAN ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP?
I serve it with Vegan Parmesan Cheese, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, Fresh-Cut Parsley, Lemon Wedges, and Fresh-Cracked Pepper. It goes great with a big loaf of crusty bread with a side of Vegan Butter too. YUM!
DOES ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP FREEZE WELL?
Yes, it freezes really well. However, I freeze the vegan meatballs separately so they don't fall apart on the reheat. Just bake or air fry them before adding to the bowls with the reheated soup.
CAN I USE STORE-BOUGHT MEATBALLS FOR ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP?
I absolutely love this soup with my homemade meatball recipe, but if you want a quicker option, you can use store-bought meatballs. I've used Gardein Vegan Meatballs before and the soup was delicious! If you use the store-bought, make sure to cook according to package instructions before adding them to the soup.
Looking for more comforting soup recipes? Here are my faves:
I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU
If you make this Vegan Italian Wedding Soup, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.
Recipe
Vegan Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
- 1 batch homemade vegan meatballs , or store-bought *see note
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 3 medium carrots , diced
- 2 stalks celery , diced
- 4-5 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 cups vegetable broth , low sodium
- ¾ cup acini de pepe pasta
- 1 teaspoon salt , more to taste
- Fresh cracked pepper , to taste
- 2 cups kale , chopped (sub spinach)
Recommended Equipment
- 1 Large Pot
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté until tender and about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Add dried thyme and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Now add the broth, pasta, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Turn heat up to get broth boiling and then turn down to a medium simmer. Cook for 8-10 minutes until pasta is al dente.
- Add the chopped kale and cook for 1-2 minutes until wilted. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed. Remove bay keaves. Add meatballs to the bowls and ladle soup on top. See note for serving/topping ideas. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Barbara
Hi Melissa,
This is a wonderful recipe!! I made your vegan meatballs too, and after many experiments wity other recipes,
your vegan meatballs are THE ONES!!!
My only other comment is that perhaps you should remind people to take the bay leaves out of the soup before
serving.. This delicious recipe is definitely going into ny regular rotation!
I cant wait to try more of your recipes
Melissa Huggins
Hi Barbara, this is the greatest compliment! I'm so happy you love both recipes. Thank you for making them and sharing feedback. I added the reminder to remove the bay leaves. 🙂
Emily
Hi Meslissa, I made this for my college meal prep to have something easy on my system to heat up and go. My non-veg friends were in love. I used store bought meatballs for lack of a food processor, but the soup is delish either way!
Melissa Huggins
So glad it was a hit, Emily! Thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your feedback. 🙂
Meredith
Made this recipe including the linked veg ball recipe and really enjoyed the flavor combo. All the extra spices in the veggie balls added a lot of flavor and nice texture to the soup. I’ve been vegan for so long that I don’t think I’ve ever actually tried traditional Italian Wedding Soup but I really enjoyed this vegan version. And the veggie balls inspired me to start testing out some homemade veggie burger recipes. Thank you!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Meredith, I'm so happy you love the recipe and will find uses for the meatball recipe. I'm sure the burgers will be delish! Thank you for trying the recipe. 🙂
Therese
Made this last night for dinner...I added about 1/2 - 3/4 cup more acini de pepe pasta, because as it was cooking it didn't look like 3/4 cup was going to be enough...(and because I love pasta). BOY did it fill the pot! LOL. But hubby and I LOVED it! He said it was more like a Italian Wedding STEW than a soup - but absolutely delish! He made his own meat(less) balls using Impossible ground meat and Beyond Ital sausage w/seasonings, eggs and breadcrumbs. (we're vegetarian)
Melissa Huggins
Hi Therese, I'm so happy you both loved the recipe. I totally understand the additional pasta. It must've been delish that way. Thank you for trying the soup and sharing your wonderful feedback. 🙂
Joanna
Made this for myself, husband, and toddler today. It was so easy and absolutely delicious! A warming tasty weeknight meal that comes together in 30 minutes (I used store bought meatballs) Thank you for this recipe! Will make again and again.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Joanna, I'm so happy you loved the recipe. Thanks you for trying it and sharing your feedback. 🙂
Richards S.
I made this the other day for myself and my daughter, hoping I would have extra to bring to work. My daughter went crazy with this and I'm glad I at least has a small bowl.
Melissa Huggins
Haha, glad you both enjoyed it! Thanks for trying the recipe Richard. 🙂
Becky Campbell
We absolutely love this recipe! I make my broth from veggie scraps that I keep in the freezer. I also use store-bought meatballs. Making some today with Pure plant-based which I have not tried but loved Beyond Meat and Gardein. My husband likes the meatballs smaller so I cut them up after they are baked. Then I add them to the soup. It adds flavor to the soup and the soup adds flavor to the meatballs! I then freeze in 2 serving containers for later. Just delicious!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Becky! We are so happy to heat that you loved the recipe 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!