Italian Wedding Soup with Plant-Based Meat
By Sara MayerPublished on January 31, 2022
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Broth
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and chopped1 onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled¼ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed½ cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon plant-based or traditional Worcestershire sauce 4 cups vegetable brothMeatballs
½ cup panko bread crumbs 4 teaspoons finely grated onion ¾ teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon garlic, minced to paste¼ teaspoon ground fennel ¼ teaspoon table salt ⅛ teaspoon pepper 12 ounces plant-based ground meat 12 ounces kale, stemmed and cut into ½-inch pieces (6 cups)2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin on bias5 ounces ditalini Plant-based or dairy Parmesan cheese (optional)Before You Begin
A rasp-style grater makes quick work of grating the onion; you can also use it to easily turn the garlic into a paste. You can substitute tubettini or orzo for the ditalini. You can use store-bought Parmesan or make our vegan Parmesan substitute, if desired.
Instructions
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add fennel, onion, garlic, and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until just softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in wine and Worcestershire and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth and 4 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- While broth simmers, stir panko, 2 tablespoons water, onion, oregano, garlic, ground fennel, salt, and pepper in large bowl until evenly combined. Break ground meat into small pieces and add to bowl with panko mixture. Gently knead with your hands until mixture is well combined. Using your moistened hands, pinch off and roll meat mixture into ¾-inch meatballs. (You should have 25 to 30 meatballs.) Transfer meatballs to plate and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much broth as possible; discard solids.
- Return broth to clean, dry pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Add kale, carrots, and pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add meatballs, return to simmer, and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until meatballs are firm and pasta is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmesan, if using.
for the broth
for the meatballs
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Broth
Meatballs
Ingredients
Broth
Meatballs
Ingredients
Broth
Meatballs
Why This Recipe Works
Italian wedding soup is so named because the meatballs, greens, and pasta live in a harmonious “marriage” in a savory broth. Because the broth is the unifying element, we start there, simmering vegetable broth, water, and white wine with aromatic fennel, onion, garlic, and umami-rich dried porcini mushrooms. While the broth simmers, we move on to the plant-based meatballs, boosting their flavor with onion, garlic, dried oregano, and ground fennel and gently poaching them in the broth until deliciously tender. Assertive, sturdy chopped kale acts as a counterpoint to the tender meatballs, a handful of chopped carrots adds sweetness and cheerful orange pops of color, and dainty ditalini give each bite satisfying wheaty chew.
Before You Begin
A rasp-style grater makes quick work of grating the onion; you can also use it to easily turn the garlic into a paste. You can substitute tubettini or orzo for the ditalini. You can use store-bought Parmesan or make our vegan Parmesan substitute, if desired.
Instructions
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add fennel, onion, garlic, and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until just softened and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in wine and Worcestershire and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth and 4 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- While broth simmers, stir panko, 2 tablespoons water, onion, oregano, garlic, ground fennel, salt, and pepper in large bowl until evenly combined. Break ground meat into small pieces and add to bowl with panko mixture. Gently knead with your hands until mixture is well combined. Using your moistened hands, pinch off and roll meat mixture into ¾-inch meatballs. (You should have 25 to 30 meatballs.) Transfer meatballs to plate and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much broth as possible; discard solids.
- Return broth to clean, dry pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Add kale, carrots, and pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add meatballs, return to simmer, and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until meatballs are firm and pasta is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmesan, if using.
for the broth
for the meatballs
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