Delectables with Dan: Italian Night Take 3: Vegan Italian Wedding Soup
I was just really in the mood for soup one night and I happened to see an advert for it on one of the Facebook groups that I followed. I clicked the video and watched the woman whip up some Italian Wedding Soup. I'd heard of it before, but hadn't ever had it. The only wedding I went to was for my low-class neanderthal of an uncle-wait, not I went to a friend's and got really shitfaced, anyway, the point is him being fake Italian (he's adopted) and the other couple being Irish, there wasn't any chance to have Italian wedding soup. I scanned through the video wondering if I could make it vegan and after a few tweaks here and there I think I came up with one that really did the original justice.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 box organic vegetable stock
2 medium carrots, peeled & chopped or 10 mini carrots, peeled & sliced down the middle
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tsp freshly chopped thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
150g chickpea pasta or pasta of choice*
900g fresh spinach, stemmed
4-6 meatless meatballs of choice**
1 tsp basil
1tsp garlic salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil (separate from the one at the top)
*Traditionally, the soup has smaller pasta, but I wanted to use something a little healthier than regular pasta. It's really up to you. I want to try it eventually with a low-carb noodle. We'll see. I just didn't have any on me when I went to make it!
**I used Gardein in this recipe like I always do, but you can use any brand really. I just don't know how they will hold up sitting in liquid.
You can make this on a cooktop, I just chose to use the crockpot for this. For the crockpot, keep the setting on high, for the cooktop keep the heat on medium-high. Pour the entire carton of vegetable stock into the crockpot and add the thyme In a small frying pan, add in the oil, a pinch of salt and the onion under low-medium heat. Cook until the onion softens and becomes almost translucent. Add the vegetables to the stock and add in the second teaspoon of olive oil into the stock, stir well. Add in the noodles of choice after the vegetables begin to soften. I had some kale that I wanted to use up, so I added that in, that's what you see in the photo. It's not in the recipe, but feel free to add it in.
When using the chickpea noodles, they will get softer faster than regular pasta, that's why you're adding it in after the vegetables have already started to soften up. Put the top on the crock pot and allow the noodles to cook and the vegetables to fully soften; this should take 20 minutes or so. While this is happening, in the same pan that you cooked your onion in, add the final teaspoon of olive oil, the Italian seasoning, garlic salt and meatballs. Cook them on low-medium heat so that they soak up the flavours in the pan. Wait until the broth is at an almost boil to add in the meatballs and spinach. Let the spinach cook until it wilts.
Remove from heat and serve in a large bowl. It doesn't really keep well overnight with the noodles; they tend to breakdown into mush so use it up. This will make 4 large size servings with maybe a little left over. I served it with some Italian bread and red cabbage on the side. Gotta get those veggies in! If you so desire, add salt and pepper to taste.
It was fun to whip up this dish and I'll probably be making it once or twice more before the winter is out. It's just enough to fill you up when you're craving soup when the snow is falling down. I think I also made a homemade tomato sauce on here once or twice. I know last year I did one that was more of an Asian twist...I'll have to re-work that one since it was made with beef stock and topped with meat. I've got some other recipes that I want to share with you guys on here; yes, I'm still working on the veggie bowl blog, it just feels too bland for me and I really want to come up with something tasty, filling and balanced. I'll get there eventually! For Delectables with Dan, the next baking blog will be a non-vegan one, as I made an amazing birthday cake for a co-worker and friend of mine that I want to share with you guys! I'll just have to work out how to make a vegan one; its a delicate process and I'm really not sure if I can make it work. We'll see! I have two more baking blogs for Delectables with Dan that are indeed vegan; one for St. Patrick's Day and the other is an inspirational one that's guaranteed to tickle your tastebuds.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 box organic vegetable stock
2 medium carrots, peeled & chopped or 10 mini carrots, peeled & sliced down the middle
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tsp freshly chopped thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
150g chickpea pasta or pasta of choice*
900g fresh spinach, stemmed
4-6 meatless meatballs of choice**
1 tsp basil
1tsp garlic salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil (separate from the one at the top)
*Traditionally, the soup has smaller pasta, but I wanted to use something a little healthier than regular pasta. It's really up to you. I want to try it eventually with a low-carb noodle. We'll see. I just didn't have any on me when I went to make it!
**I used Gardein in this recipe like I always do, but you can use any brand really. I just don't know how they will hold up sitting in liquid.
You can make this on a cooktop, I just chose to use the crockpot for this. For the crockpot, keep the setting on high, for the cooktop keep the heat on medium-high. Pour the entire carton of vegetable stock into the crockpot and add the thyme In a small frying pan, add in the oil, a pinch of salt and the onion under low-medium heat. Cook until the onion softens and becomes almost translucent. Add the vegetables to the stock and add in the second teaspoon of olive oil into the stock, stir well. Add in the noodles of choice after the vegetables begin to soften. I had some kale that I wanted to use up, so I added that in, that's what you see in the photo. It's not in the recipe, but feel free to add it in.
When using the chickpea noodles, they will get softer faster than regular pasta, that's why you're adding it in after the vegetables have already started to soften up. Put the top on the crock pot and allow the noodles to cook and the vegetables to fully soften; this should take 20 minutes or so. While this is happening, in the same pan that you cooked your onion in, add the final teaspoon of olive oil, the Italian seasoning, garlic salt and meatballs. Cook them on low-medium heat so that they soak up the flavours in the pan. Wait until the broth is at an almost boil to add in the meatballs and spinach. Let the spinach cook until it wilts.Remove from heat and serve in a large bowl. It doesn't really keep well overnight with the noodles; they tend to breakdown into mush so use it up. This will make 4 large size servings with maybe a little left over. I served it with some Italian bread and red cabbage on the side. Gotta get those veggies in! If you so desire, add salt and pepper to taste.
It was fun to whip up this dish and I'll probably be making it once or twice more before the winter is out. It's just enough to fill you up when you're craving soup when the snow is falling down. I think I also made a homemade tomato sauce on here once or twice. I know last year I did one that was more of an Asian twist...I'll have to re-work that one since it was made with beef stock and topped with meat. I've got some other recipes that I want to share with you guys on here; yes, I'm still working on the veggie bowl blog, it just feels too bland for me and I really want to come up with something tasty, filling and balanced. I'll get there eventually! For Delectables with Dan, the next baking blog will be a non-vegan one, as I made an amazing birthday cake for a co-worker and friend of mine that I want to share with you guys! I'll just have to work out how to make a vegan one; its a delicate process and I'm really not sure if I can make it work. We'll see! I have two more baking blogs for Delectables with Dan that are indeed vegan; one for St. Patrick's Day and the other is an inspirational one that's guaranteed to tickle your tastebuds.
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