Vegan Italian Wedding Soup
This vegan Italian wedding soup recipe is classic comfort food made vegan. Packed with veggies, tiny Acini Di Peppe pasta, and vegan meatballs, this soup is delicious, nourishing, and satisfying.
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Why make this soup
You have a few choices when making this meatless Italian wedding soup. It can be made with my gluten-free vegan TVP meatballs, store-bought frozen veggie meatballs, or vegan sausage. Whatever you choose as your meat substitute, it’s always delicious.
My friend Nicole from the blog Fresh Apron posted a classic Italian wedding soup recipe that I saw on Instagram a few months ago, and it looked so delicious I just had to make it vegan.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Vegan Meatballs – you can use store-bought vegan meatballs or my TVP meatball recipe in this soup. You can also make your own with a package of impossible burger “meat” or even swap out the meatballs with vegan Italian sausages. If you don’t want any faux meat products, you can swap out the meatballs for white beans too.
- Olive Oil – to saute the veggies in.
- Onion – for flavor. You can also use onion powder if you don’t have an onion or simply omit it.
- Garlic – fresh cloves of garlic taste best, but you can use garlic powder instead if needed.
- Carrots – for color and sweetness.
- Celery – for flavor and texture in the soup. You will only need about 2 stalks of celery.
- Fresh Garlic – minced for flavor.
- Baby Spinach – You can also use fresh kale, collard greens, or Swiss chard. Fresh greens are best, but you can use frozen ones as well.
- Vegan Chicken Broth – I like Not Chick’n Broth or the Better than Bouillon brand, not chicken flavor. You can also use half vegetable stock and half water with a little extra salt.
- Seasonings – Bay leaf, dried thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper. You can also use an Italian seasoning mix instead of dried herbs. Fresh herbs are also delicious in this soup, especially fresh parsley.
- Pasta – The very small circular Acini De Peppe pasta makes the most traditional Italian wedding soup, but any small pasta like orzo pasta or ditalini will work well.
- Lemon – The juice of half a lemon brightens up this soup and makes it totally addictive.
Helpful tools
Soup Pot or Dutch Oven – to cook the soup in.
Sheet Pan – You will need a baking sheet to cook the meatballs on before adding them to the soup.
How to make vegan Italian wedding soup
Step 1 – Heat your vegan meatballs of choice on a sheet pan in the oven and bake according to the recipe or package instructions.
Step 2 – Peel and dice 1 onion and sauté it in olive oil with 1/2 teaspoon of salt over low heat in a large pot while you are preparing the rest of the vegetables. (Cooking the onion slowly brings out the sweetness and gives a nice flavor to the soup.)
Step 3 – Wash and chop the carrots and celery into small pieces and add them to the pot with minced garlic and spices, then stir well.
Step 4 – Turn up the stove to medium heat and saute for 3 minutes, then add 8 cups of vegetable broth.
Step 5 – Bring to a low boil for 5 minutes, then add the Pepe pasta and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Step 6 – Remove the bay leaf, then stir in the rough-cut baby spinach, fresh parsley, and the juice of 1 large lemon.
Step 7 – Place 4-5 vegan meatballs in a bowl and serve the hot soup over them.
Step 8 – Serve with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese if desired.
Serve your soup with some vegan drop biscuits, vegan focaccia bread, vegan cheddar bay biscuits, or vegan cornbread. Serve it alongside vegan pasta, stuffed shells, or lasagna for a hearty meal.
Pro Tips
- Vegan meatballs hold up better if the soup is served over them instead of cooking the meatballs directly in the soup.
- I loved the flavor of the savory broth and I was a little skeptical about adding lemon juice but trust me, it makes the soup even better.
- If you are making homemade meatballs, roll them a little smaller than you normally would. Tiny meatballs work well in this soup.
Frequently asked questions?
You would think from the name, that this may be a traditional soup that Italians serve at weddings, but the wedding that is being referred to is the marriage between meat and vegetables. A wedding soup or a married soup simply means that it is made from meat and veggies.
You can make my seitan Italian sausage recipe and roll them into balls instead of links, then bake them at 375° F for 30 minutes. You can also take the casing off of Beyond Meat sausages and form the filling into meatballs, then bake for 15 minutes at 375° F or until they are firm and cooked through.
Storage and reheating
Refrigerate: Store the leftover vegan wedding soup in the fridge for 3 – 5 days in an airtight container.
Freeze: Italian wedding soup freezes well and can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat the soup in the microwave for about 3 minutes, or reheat it in a saucepan on the stovetop.
More vegan soup recipes
- Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup
- Cauliflower Potato Leek Soup
- Vegan Minestrone
- Vegetarian 15 Bean Soup
- Vegan Cream of Celery
- Creamy Vegetable Soup
- Vegan Cream of Chicken
Vegan Italian wedding soup recipe
Vegan Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
- 24 TVP vegan meatballs, (or 1 package frozen vegan meatballs)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, (or Italian herb mix)
- 8 cups not chick'n broth
- 3/4 cup acini di pepe pasta
- 4 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped (or leafy greens of choice)
- 2 tablespoons parsley, fresh or dried
- 1 juice of lemon
- salt and pepper, to taste
Equipment
- souper cubes (for storage)
Instructions
- Heat your vegan meatballs of choice on a sheet pan in the oven and bake according to the recipe or package instructions.
- Peel and dice 1 onion and saute it in olive oil with 1/2 teaspoon of salt over low heat in a large pot while you are preparing the rest of the vegetables. (Cooking the onion slowly brings out the sweetness and gives a nice flavor to the soup.)
- Wash and chop the carrots and celery into small pieces and add them to the pot with minced garlic and spices then stir well.
- Turn up the stove to medium heat and saute for 3 minutes then add 8 cups of vegetable broth.
- Bring to a low boil for 5 minutes, then add the Pepe pasta and simmer for 10 more minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf, then stir in the rough-cut baby spinach, fresh parsley, and the juice of 1 large lemon.
- Place 4 -5 vegan meatballs in a bowl and serve the hot soup over them.
- Serve with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Vegan meatballs hold up better if the soup is served over them instead of cooking the meatballs directly in the soup.
- I loved the flavor of the savory broth and I was a little skeptical about adding lemon juice but trust me, it makes the soup even better.
- If you are making homemade meatballs, roll them a little smaller than you normally would. Tiny meatballs work well in this soup.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
I made this for dinner last night and it was perfect! I’m excited that I have some left over for lunch today!
I’m glad that you liked the recipe, Meg! 🙂