Hearty, homemade soup that’s ready in about 30 minutes? Yes, please!
Post election and this country, and the whole world for that matter, is divided and wondering what in the name of God is going to happen now and where the heck we are supposed to go from here. Never in my lifetime have I seen such an insane election or such incredible unhappiness and discord in my homeland.
Ugh.
Since booze isn’t really my schtick, stress eating feels like a novel way to temporarily dull the agony. It’s also a welcome means of avoiding the mentally draining and incessant political articles and personal rants that folks have been spewing forth on Facebook.
And so, without further ado, let’s talk about Italian Wedding Soup.
Comfort food is a good thing in times like these. And My vegan version of Italian wedding soup will provide an abundance of veggies, some carby goodness as well as a “chicken” like broth that would easily fool any omnivore.
The magical secret to the brothy goodness is this product, Ossem Consomme Soup & Seasoning Mix.
It’s a popular ingredient in Israeli cooking and it’s the perfect way to get a chicken broth like flavor minus the chicken! It’s totally vegetarian (also vegan) according to the package, plus it’s preservative free and doesn’t have any food coloring, so bonus points for that. I buy it at the supermarket in the International section, but if you can’t find it at your grocery store, snag some online. Totally worth it!
Alas, here’s the recipe. It makes approximately 6 to 8 servings depending on how big your bowls are and how much you want to snarf at once.
What You’ll Need:
- 9 cups of water
- 7 Teaspoons of Ossem Consomme Soup & Seasoning Mix
- 4 Cups of chopped escarole (baby spinach, kale or swiss chard would work, too)
- 1 Cup shredded or diced carrots
- 1/2 Small onion, finely diced
- 1/2 Package of Lightlife brand Gimmie Lean Meatless Sausage
- 1 Cup small pasta, such as orzo, ditalini or ancini de pe pe
- 1/8 Cup Olive Oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
How To:
Bring 9 cups of water to a boil. Stir in 7 teaspoons of Ossem Chicken Style Consomme and let it cook for three or four minutes. Add in the pasta, carrots and escarole. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover your pot and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut a package of Lightlife brand Gimmie Lean Meatless Sausage in half. Use the contents of half of one package to make tiny meatballs. Or more than half of the package if you want tons of wee meatballs. Your call. Each one should each be approximately the size of a cherry. Set them aside when you’re done and finely chop half of a small onion.
Grab a frying pan and add 1/8 of a cup of olive oil and set it to medium heat. Add in a tiny pinch of sea salt as well as a dash of freshly ground pepper. When the pan is hot, add in your onions and let them cook for a few minutes before tossing in the meatballs. Make sure that the meatballs are coated with the olive oil and be sure to move them about with a spatula to ensure that they cook evenly. Totally fine if the onions brown a little in the process, no worries. When the meatballs are evenly cooked and browned on all sides, turn off the burner and remove the pan from heat, allowing the contents to cool. Carefully add all the contents of the pan directly into your soup pot. Stir the soup and carefully ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with your choice of parmesan or vegan parmesan if desired and serve.