Italian Wedding Soup is named for the "marriage" of meatballs with vegetables. We have created a vegetarian version of this classic soup by honing our skills at seasoning plant-based impossible meat to create delicious meat-free meatballs. This soup is easy enough for me to whip up on a weeknight, as it only requires a few vegetables, some veg broth, and pantry items like tiny pasta. The fresh dill and white wine are additions that make the broth especially delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery ribs
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 8 - 12 cups light vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
- 8 - 10 ounces leafy greens such as escarole, spinach, chard, kale, or endive
- 1/2 - 2/3 cup tiny pasta such as pastina, orzo, tiny stars, or mini shells
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the Vegetarian Meatballs
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan or pecorino
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 big pinches salt
- black pepper
- 1 package Impossible plant-based meat
To Garnish
- good quality olive oil
- grated parmesan
Instructions
- Chop the onion, carrots, and celery. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. When hot, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté until they are starting to color, about 8 - 10 minutes.
- Add the white wine, and let it simmer 1 minute.
- Add the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low. Cover and let simmer about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the vegetarian meatballs. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients except the Impossible meat. When these ingredients are well-combined, then add the Impossible meat last and use a fork or your hands to work the ingredients together.
- Use your hands to roll the vegetarian meatballs into small balls, either 1/2 teaspoon in size or a little bigger. Arrange them on a clean plate. Continue to make balls with the remaining mixture.
- Cook the vegetarian meatballs. I usually lightly panfry them in a cast iron pan, but you can bake them in the oven or toaster oven, or you can gently cook them in the soup. If using a cast iron pan, add 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan and heat to medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the balls and gently arrange them in a single layer. When the bottoms start to brown, gently use chopsticks or a spatula to turn them over and cook the other side.
- When the balls are cooked through, add them to the soup. At this time, also add the chopped dill, leafy greens, and tiny pasta. Cook about 5 - 6 minutes.
- (Alternatively, you can cook the tiny pasta separately in a small saucepan of salted water.)
- Taste the soup and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- To serve, ladle the soup into wide bowls. Garnish with a drizzle of good quality olive oil and a dusting of grated parmesan.