I was never an enthusiastic fan of soup, until I started being able to create vegan soups that were filled with so many vegetables.
Carrots, Celery & Zucchini, yes please!
I love chunky vegetables in soups – like lots and lots of big chunky vegetables. I tend to always increase the amount of vegetables that I put in my soups so feel free to try the same – unless of course you like it brothy, then totally do not do that!
My favorite veggies in soups are carrots, celery, and zucchini so you can see why I like this recipe so much. Additionally, this is a soup that my daughter and husband both love – an agreement from both of my critics always goes in the win column.
Flank Steak? Um, no thanks!
It is important to note that I use a ready-made meatball. You can absolutely make yours from scratch. Please share in the comment section if you have a favorite vegan meatball recipe – I would love to try it! Over the years, I have tried to make a variety of vegan meatballs from scratch, but I have yet to succeed with one that works perfectly here in this soup and also passes the husband test.
As you may have read, my husband is Danish, and he grew up in a meat, potato, and gravy household. Potatoes were the vegetable! My mother-in-law has adapted her cooking over the years to suit her very veggie granddaughter, but my husband – even with our focus on the environment and how much we despise factory farming – still craves meat.
Keeping my husband happy and not talking about flank steak, is a goal that my daughter and I share. I will also take this moment to point out how much time it takes to be an ingredient focused household. I spend an average of 2 hours per day in the kitchen. That is a lot of time! Five years ago, I would have had a breakdown if you told me that I needed to do that.
It does not all have to be from scratch!
So, I absolutely accept and look for shortcuts. Ready-made meatballs are a good compromise, especially these. They are frozen so you can buy them ahead, and my husband was thrilled with how they tasted. He got his meat fix and could not stop talking about it. Yay!!! I hope your family will feel the same way!
If you stock up on the meatballs and the canned goods, then there is not a ton more that needs to be purchased. You could substitute a bunch of the veggies in the recipe below if you have some already in your fridge.
“Anywho,” (just because, lol)
Anywho, (yep, a real word – albeit informal – it is still allowed. And I must be in the habit of getting off track because I am quite sure I use it a lot in conversations, lol) OMG, I feel like I need to say it again… anywho, let’s get back to the recipe.
So, a delicious family friendly soup, filled with nutrients, which can win stubborn meat lovers over, freezes great for leftovers… what more could you ask?!
Ingredients:
4 cups of Vegetable Broth (hopefully you have a container of your own veggie scrap broth that you can pull out of the freezer. Here is the link to the recipe, just in case – http://www.thecarbonemissionsproject.com/vegetable-stock-recipe/)
2 tsp olive oil
1 organic yellow onion, chopped.
5 garlic cloves, minced.
4-5 organic carrots, washed & chopped.
4-5 organic celery stalks, washed & chopped.
1 (28 ounce) can Muir Glen Organic Diced Fire Roasted Canned Tomatoes
½ cup Italian parsley, washed & chopped
2 organic zucchinis, washed & sliced.
2 cups of organic fresh spinach, washed & chopped.
Salt & Pepper to taste. You can also throw some rosemary in.
Vegan Meatballs, I like this brand – Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Meatballs (NOTE: this meatball is NOT gluten free.)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven. Follow your meatball cooking instructions. If you use the Gardein Plant-Based Meatballs (link above) then your oven gets heated to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and the meatballs cook for 15-18 minutes. I usually leave the meatballs in for 15 minutes and then throw them in the soup to finish them off.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium/high heat. Add onion and garlic, then carrots and celery. Sauté for about 10 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, parsley, and any spices. Cover and cook on low for approximately 30 minutes. Add the zucchini, spinach, and meatballs and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Let me know how you like it. And, how many extra carrots you added, lol!
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