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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 ribs celery , diced
- 4-5 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 10 cups vegetable broth , low sodium (*see note)
- ¾ cup acini de pepe pasta , uncooked
- 1 teaspoon sea salt , more to taste
- Fresh cracked pepper , to taste
- 2 cups chopped kale (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 leaf.
- Next, add the meatballs to the broth and gently cook for 1-2 minutes to heat throughout (*read note if you are using my homemade meatballs). Ladle soup in bowls and serve. See note for serving/topping ideas. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Alexandra Colacito
I just made this tonight and it was as good as I hoped it would be. I think the key is the broth. I used Better than Bouillon No Beef Base. All the other seasonings were spot on.. I also let my Gardein meatballs stew in the soup a bit, so that their flavor permeated the broth. I used Ditalini pasta, which puffed up to a nice size and made the soup seem even heartier. The kale added that healthy touch, and it didn't ruin it, like kale sometimes does. Nice texture and flavor. Perfect meal.
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Alexandra! We are so happy to hear that you loved the soup. Thanks so much for the 5 star review 🙂
Adrienne
Oooooo, this sounds so delicious! Question: do you think your Italian Wedding Soup would hold up for several hours in a slow cooker on warm? I have been asked to provide several comforting vegan soups for my son's fall wedding reception, and I want to make the best version of each of my choices. I would have to make several batches to feed at least three vegans and however many carnivores who dare to sample such herbiforous greatness.
By the way, when I share an online recipe with people, I always provide a printed copy with the author's website highlighted, and I'll do the same then. That way guests can look out for any food sensitivities, check out the website, and it gives credit where credit is due.
Thank you.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Adrienne, Thank you for checking out the recipe. It's so wonderful of you to make vegan meals for your son's wedding!
I haven't tried this recipe in a slow cooker, but I think it could work using the Gardein store-bought meatballs. They are very sturdy. I don't believe it'll work with my meatball recipe though, and they will probably get too soft (unless you serve them on the side). I have a potato leek soup recipe that will hold up well if you are interested.
That's so nice of you to share the author of each recipe. 🙂 Please feel free to reach out with any questions. Have a wonderful time at the wedding!
Adrienne
Such a speedy reply! I really, really want to try your meatball recipe, and I think serving them on the side would work very nicely. I could make them fairly small so they would warm up quickly in the hot bowl of your soup. Great advice! I'll be making a trial batch well beforehand so that things will be perfect for the guests that day. I'll have to check back with you afterward. Your parm recipe is different from mine so I'll be trying that, also. Love the lactic acid addition.
Nicole
Love this recipe! I decided to go without the meat balls but love everything else about it!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Nicole! We're so glad to hear that you loved the recipe even without the meatballs 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Lisa Shirk
This was so good! I used Beyond meatballs and cut them in half and rerolled them.
Served with a salad and vegan Red Lobster rolls was a winner!!!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Lisa! We are so happy to hear that you loved the recipe - thanks for trying it out!
Ayla
This recipe is everything I need!!!!! I used your meatball recipe and WOW!!!!!!! Thank you so much for this.
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Ayla! We are so happy to hear that you love the soup recipe and the meatball recipe! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Gregie F Duran
I love this soup , it is nice to find a vegan version
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Gregie! So glad you loved the recipe, thanks for sharing!
Linda Nisbett
Another awesome and delicious recipe. Italian Wedding Soup is one of my favourites from childhood and was excited to see a vegan version. Just love your recipes. It's flavourful and easy to make.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Linda, I'm so glad you liked it! It was a childhood favorite of mine too. Thank you for giving it a try! 🙂
RICK REED
Thanks so much for this! I grew up with a Sicilian mother (she passed in 2007) and wedding soup was a part of every holiday table growing up. With the chicken broth and beef/veal meatballs, I had thought I'd never be able to enjoy good Italian wedding soup again as a vegan. I appreciate that you and your recipe proved me wrong. Like another commenter, I did sub out the kale with escarole (my mom would use nothing else), but otherwise this was a hearty and tasty trip down memory lane for this Italian son.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Rick, this is such a nice compliment! I'm so glad you enjoyed the soup so much. I finally tried it with the escarole and I loved it. Thank you for giving it a try 🙂
Mary
Excellent soup! So simple yet has a depth of flavor, especially with the lemon squirted on top. We used Gardein frozen meatballs, which worked very well. Thank you!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Mary, thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked it with the Gardein meatballs. They are so easy and delicious! 🙂
Pam
Did you simmer the Gardein meatballs in the broth or cook them separately?
Christine
The soup tasted just like I remembered! Thank you for the yummy recipe!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Christine, You're most welcome! Thank you for giving it a try 🙂
K
Made this today using gardein meatless Italian. Came out very good.
Melissa Huggins
I'm so glad you liked it! Thank you so much 🙂
Cathy
Hi Melissa! I made this wonderful soup last week during a real cold snap. I had whole grain orzo so used that and it was just delicious! Will make 2 batches tomorrow to bring for before Christmas dinner. Will freeze and have it the night we arrive. I am adding Field Roast Italian sausages! Thanks again for another great recipe!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Cathy, I'm so happy you liked it and glad it worked out with the orzo. It sounds perfect with Field Roast sausages! I've try it out. YUM! Thank you 🙂
Lwarren
I made this last night using store bought meatballs. It was very delicious and my toddler loves it!
Melissa Huggins
I'm so glad! Thank you for giving it a try 🙂
Rita Delfing
I made this the past week and must say I very much enjoyed the flavor of the soup. I did lite-house ground (I think that is the name) and it worked very well. I am finishing my leftovers tonight but will most definitely be making this again.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Rita, I'm so glad you liked it! I love that vegan ground too (It's Lightlife) Thank you for giving it a try 🙂
Kate
I followed the recipe exactly and got a wonderful hearty soup. To be honest, the meatballs were larger than I needed for the soup. I'll make them about 2/3 smaller next time for the soup, but they were perfect for marinara sauce (I confess I ate about a half dozen from the pan before they made it in the soup). I did a comparison with 2 bags of commercial vegan meatballs that also tasted good, but the homemade ones had more heft and just were more satisfying to bite into. A real winner, thank you so much for sharing. Your recipe will be my go to for 'meatballs'.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Kate, I'm sorry for the late response. Somehow I missed your comment. 🙁 I'm glad you liked it best with the homemade 'meatballs'. Thank you for giving it a try 🙂
John (Giovanni)
I love this soup and I love your recipe! Actually was planning on making it tonight for dinner when I saw your email.
When I can find it, I use organic escarole or endive and in a pinch frisee, but kale is delicious also especially dino (Tuscan) kale. For alternative to the vegan meatballs I have used Beyond meat spicy Italian sausage (vegan) of course.
As always, I look forward to your recipes.
Melody’s
I cannot find the pasta:( looking forward gluten freeplease let me know if this comes in gf pasta
Melissa Huggins
Hi Melody, you can use any gluten-free pasta. Just cook according to package directions. The jovial brand holds up nicely. I hope this helps.
Melissa Huggins
Hi John, thank you for giving it a try! It sounds amazing with the escarole and Beyond sausages! I'll have to give it a shot!