Vegan Italian Wedding Soup
A longtime vegetarian (and soup lover), Jennifer Lang of Oakland Park, Fla., was inspired to make a veg version of Italian wedding soup, she says, “because I’d see it on restaurant menus, and I could never order it because it always had meat.” This recipe received an honorable…
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A longtime vegetarian (and soup lover), Jennifer Lang of Oakland Park, Fla., was inspired to make a veg version of Italian wedding soup, she says, “because I’d see it on restaurant menus, and I could never order it because it always had meat.” This recipe received an honorable mention in our 2008 Reader Recipe Contest.
Ingredients
- 4 Tbs. olive oil, divided
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.), plus 1 whole clove, peeled, divided
- 3/4 cup diced carrot
- 3/4 cup diced celery
- 1 Tbs. Simply Organic Oregano
- 1 Tbs. Simply Organic Basil
- 1 Tbs. Simply Organic Parsley
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup ditalini pasta
- 1 pkg. vegan meatballs, defrosted (18 small meatballs)
- 1 5-oz. pkg. fresh spinach
- 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
Preparation
1. Heat 2 Tbs. olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and minced garlic; sauté 5 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Stir in carrot and celery, and cook 5 minutes more, or until onion is soft and just beginning to brown. Add oregano, basil, and parsley, and cook 1 minute. Stir in broth, and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium, add ditalini, and cook at low boil 5 minutes, or half of cooking time stated in ditalini package directions. Add meatballs, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 Tbs. oil in skillet over medium heat. Add remaining garlic clove, and crush with wooden spoon in oil while heating. Add spinach; cook 3 to 5 minutes, turning constantly so spinach becomes evenly coated and wilted, but still bright green. After meatballs have simmered, add spinach and lemon juice to soup, and season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition Information
- Calories 234
- Carbohydrate Content 25 g
- Cholesterol Content 0 mg
- Fat Content 11.5 g
- Fiber Content 6 g
- Protein Content 9 g
- Saturated Fat Content 2 g
- Sodium Content 499 mg
- Sugar Content 5 g