Vegan Italian Wedding Soup

 

Italian Wedding Soup has always been one of my favorite soups, especially growing up as a kid. Thanks to SunFlower Family, I’m able to recreate some awesome meatless meatballs using their sunflower haché, while keeping it 100% vegan. It’s packed with protein and a great alternative to tofu, tempeh, or seitan.

Yield 54

Ingredients

3 (16 oz.) vegetable broth

2-1/4 cups chopped escarole

1 cup Acini de pepe or pearl couscous

“Meatballs”:

1 box Sunflower Haché

1 small onion, grated

2 Tbsp. avocado oil

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 Tbsp. Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer + 4 Tbsp. filtered water, mixed

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. Vitacost Himalayan Fine Pink Salt

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat air fryer or oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, soak the haché according to the box instructions. Combine the onion, parsley, egg replacer, garlic cloves, salt, breadcrumbs, and nutritional yeast. Using a Tbsp., shape the mixture into 1-inch round “meatballs”; Set aside.
3. In a large pot, bring the vegetable broth to a boil on medium-high heat. Add the acini de pepe, and escarole; Simmer on medium for 10 minutes, or until al dente.
4. Using a 1 tsp. measuring spoon, roll meatless meatballs into rounds and place into air fryer.
5. Cook “meatballs” for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Add to individual soup bowls with broth before serving.
6. Serve warm

 

Chef’s tip: Add a can of mashed black beans or chickpeas! The meatballs will not hold together when cooking in the broth, so be sure to cook them in the oven.