Vegan Italian Wedding Soup (2024)

January 31, 2019 By Melissa Huggins / 48 Comments

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Warm up on a chilly night with a bowl of this Vegan Italian Wedding Soup. It's brimming with veggies, pasta pearls, and savory vegan meatballs. It's a cinch to make and you can use homemade or store-bought vegan meatballs.

After perfecting my Vegan Meatballs a few weeks ago, I realized that the possibilities were endless now. I'm talking Meatball Subs, Swedish Meatballs, MeatballVegan Pizzaand this Vegan Italian Wedding Soup.

This was a childhood favorite of mine, and I haven't tried a vegan version until now. What was I waiting for? This is GOOD!

Seriously, who wouldn't love pasta and meatballs together in a savory broth? **Crickets** It's pure comfort and I just can't get enough!

Table of Contents

HOW DO I MAKE VEGAN ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP?

(full ingredient amount in recipe card below)

Sauté onions, celery, and carrots until slightly tender.
Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute until lightly browned.
Now add the thyme and cook for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.

Add the pasta broth, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a medium simmer and cook until pasta is al dente about 10 minutes.
Now add the kale and cook for 1-2 minutes to soften. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed.
Add meatballs to the serving bowls and ladle soup on top.

WHAT GOES WITH VEGAN ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP?

I serve it with Vegan Parmesan Cheese, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, Fresh-Cut Parsley, Lemon Wedges, and Fresh-Cracked Pepper. It goes great with a big loaf of crusty bread with a side of Vegan Buttertoo. YUM!

DOES ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP FREEZE WELL?

Yes, it freezes really well. However, I freeze the vegan meatballs separately so they don't fall apart on the reheat. Just bake or air fry them before adding to the bowls with the reheated soup.

CAN I USE STORE-BOUGHT MEATBALLS FOR ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP?

I absolutely love this soup with my homemade meatball recipe, but if you want a quicker option, you can use store-bought meatballs. I've usedGardein Vegan Meatballsbefore and the soup was delicious! If you use the store-bought, make sure to cook according to package instructions before adding them to the soup.

Looking for more comforting soup recipes? Here are my faves:

Roasted Vegan Cauliflower Soup
Instant Pot Yellow Split Pea Soup
Vegan Clam Chowder

I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU

If you make this Vegan Italian Wedding Soup, let me know what you think by★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me onInstagramand share your creation with me. Just tag me@veganhuggsand hashtag#veganhuggsso I don’t miss it.

📖 Recipe

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5 from 28 votes

Vegan Italian Wedding Soup

Warm up on a chilly night with a bowl of this Vegan Italian Wedding Soup. It's brimming with veggies, pasta pearls, and savory vegan meatballs.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American, Italian, Vegan

Ingredients

▢ 1 batch homemade vegan meatballs , or store-bought *see note
▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▢ 1 medium onion , diced
▢ 3 medium carrots , diced
▢ 2 stalks celery , diced
▢ 4-5 cloves garlic , minced
▢ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
▢ 2 bay leaves
▢ 10 cups vegetable broth , low sodium
▢ ¾ cup acini de pepe pasta
▢ 1 teaspoon salt , more to taste
▢ Fresh cracked pepper , to taste
▢ 2 cups kale , chopped (sub spinach)

Recommended Equipment

1 Large Pot

Instructions

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté until tender and about 5-6 minutes.
Add the garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
Add dried thyme and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Now add the broth, pasta, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Turn heat up to get broth boiling and then turn down to a medium simmer. Cook for 8-10 minutes until pasta is al dente.
Add the chopped kale and cook for 1-2 minutes until wilted. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed. Add meatballs to the bowls and ladle soup on top. See note for serving/topping ideas. Enjoy!

Notes

VEGAN MEATBALLS: I love this soup with my homemade meatball recipe, but I've also tried it with Gardein Vegan Meatballs and it was delicious. If you use the store-bought, make sure to cook according to package instructions before adding them to the soup.

Pasta - If you can't find acini de pepe, you can also use ditalini, stelline, or any type of tiny pasta. You can use orzo, but I would recommend reducing the amount to ½ cup or adding more broth to the recipe so it doesn't take over the soup.

SERVING:Serve with crusty bread and top with Vegan Parmesan Cheese, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, Fresh-Cut Parsley, Squeeze of Lemon, and Fresh-Cracked Pepper.

Nutritional info doesn't include the vegan meatballs. You can find that under my meatball recipe post or on the package if you use store-bought.

Cook time doesn't include homemade vegan meatballs.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Follow me @veganhuggs and mention #veganhuggs!

More Vegan Soups and Salads

Thai Red Curry Noodle Soup
Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Three Bean Salad
Vegan Cauliflower Soup

About Melissa

I’m Melissa Huggins – the creator of Vegan Huggs. I started this blog to share delicious vegan recipes that everyone will love. Yep, that includes carnivores, too! Read more...

Reader Interactions

Comments

Emily
February 05, 2024 at 9:19 am

Hi Meslissa, I made this for my college meal prep to have something easy on my system to heat up and go. My non-veg friends were in love. I used store bought meatballs for lack of a food processor, but the soup is delish either way!
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  February 22, 2024 at 10:58 am
  
  So glad it was a hit, Emily! Thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your feedback. 🙂
  Reply
Meredith
December 06, 2023 at 8:16 pm

Made this recipe including the linked veg ball recipe and really enjoyed the flavor combo. All the extra spices in the veggie balls added a lot of flavor and nice texture to the soup. I’ve been vegan for so long that I don’t think I’ve ever actually tried traditional Italian Wedding Soup but I really enjoyed this vegan version. And the veggie balls inspired me to start testing out some homemade veggie burger recipes. Thank you!
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  December 29, 2023 at 10:16 am
  
  Hi Meredith, I'm so happy you love the recipe and will find uses for the meatball recipe. I'm sure the burgers will be delish! Thank you for trying the recipe. 🙂
  Reply
Therese
October 06, 2023 at 7:35 am

Made this last night for dinner...I added about 1/2 - 3/4 cup more acini de pepe pasta, because as it was cooking it didn't look like 3/4 cup was going to be enough...(and because I love pasta). BOY did it fill the pot! LOL. But hubby and I LOVED it! He said it was more like a Italian Wedding STEW than a soup - but absolutely delish! He made his own meat(less) balls using Impossible ground meat and Beyond Ital sausage w/seasonings, eggs and breadcrumbs. (we're vegetarian)
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  December 29, 2023 at 10:09 am
  
  Hi Therese, I'm so happy you both loved the recipe. I totally understand the additional pasta. It must've been delish that way. Thank you for trying the soup and sharing your wonderful feedback. 🙂
  Reply
Joanna
September 25, 2023 at 6:07 pm

Made this for myself, husband, and toddler today. It was so easy and absolutely delicious! A warming tasty weeknight meal that comes together in 30 minutes (I used store bought meatballs) Thank you for this recipe! Will make again and again.
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  October 10, 2023 at 12:01 pm
  
  Hi Joanna, I'm so happy you loved the recipe. Thanks you for trying it and sharing your feedback. 🙂
  Reply
Richards S.
January 29, 2023 at 9:23 am

I made this the other day for myself and my daughter, hoping I would have extra to bring to work. My daughter went crazy with this and I'm glad I at least has a small bowl.
Reply
- Melissa Huggins
  February 03, 2023 at 7:56 am
  
  Haha, glad you both enjoyed it! Thanks for trying the recipe Richard. 🙂
  Reply
Becky Campbell
September 21, 2021 at 9:06 am

We absolutely love this recipe! I make my broth from veggie scraps that I keep in the freezer. I also use store-bought meatballs. Making some today with Pure plant-based which I have not tried but loved Beyond Meat and Gardein. My husband likes the meatballs smaller so I cut them up after they are baked. Then I add them to the soup. It adds flavor to the soup and the soup adds flavor to the meatballs! I then freeze in 2 serving containers for later. Just delicious!
Reply
- Support @ Vegan Huggs
  September 30, 2021 at 7:32 pm
  
  Hi Becky! We are so happy to heat that you loved the recipe 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
  Reply

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