Vegan Pesto Italian Wedding Soup
Juicy, flavor-packed meatballs served in a simple, soothing broth with zesty homemade pesto sauce that's ready in just about 30 minutes! This Pesto Italian Wedding Soup is easy and wholesome, making for a meal that everyone is sure to love!
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 pound vegan ground meat *see recipe notes
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- 2 TBS Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 prepared vegan egg such as Bob’s Red Mill (*see recipe notes)
- ½ cup vegan parmesan plus more for serving
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Pesto:
- 3 cups fresh basil
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
Soup:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cups chopped white onion about 1 onion
- 1 cup diced carrot about 2 carrots
- 1 cup diced celery about 2 stalks
- 6 cloves garlic smashed
- 10 cup vegan chick’n broth or vegetable broth
- 1 cup small soup pasta such as Acini de Pepe or Orzo
- Prepared meatballs recipe above
- 4 cups loosely packed roughly chopped kale
- Prepared pesto recipe above (*see recipe notes)
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice about 2 lemons
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Vegan parmesan cheese for serving
- Fresh julienned basil for serving, optional
Instructions
- INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat the oven broiler to high and set an oven rack on the setting right above the middle.
- To prepare the meatballs, place all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to combine. Using about 1 tablespoon of the mixture, use your hands to form about 30 (1-inch) meatballs. Transfer the meatballs to a lined baking sheet. Broil the meatballs until browned on each side, turning halfway through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, prepare the pesto and the soup. Place all the pesto ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and smashed garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the broth and small soup pasta. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once the soup reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low, add the prepared meatballs, cover and simmer until the pasta is fully cooked, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the kale and simmer another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, add the prepared pesto and fresh lemon juice and mix gently to combine. Serve immediately with vegan parmesan shreds and julienned basil. ENJOY!
Notes
* The meatballs have to be formed with vegan ground meat similar in texture to regular ground beef, such as Beyond Meat Ground, Good & Gather (Target’s Brand), Sweet Earth Foods, or Impossible. There are other brands depending on location, but it MUST be ground-like meat. Crumbles will not form into meatballs and they will fall apart in the soup
* Flax Egg or Chia Egg will work as well
* The pesto can be made ahead of time. It will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 5 days
* Flax Egg or Chia Egg will work as well
* The pesto can be made ahead of time. It will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 5 days
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!