Italian Wedding Soup

Level of Difficulty: soupa easy!
Pots/Pans Used: 2

Ingredients

2-3 TBL Olive Oil
8 cups Vegetable Stock
12 (more or less) Vegan Meatballs
3/4 cup Celery, chopped
3/4 cup Carrots, chopped
2 cups Fresh Spinach
1 medium Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
14.5 oz. can of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, strained
1 TBL Ground Italian Seasoning Herbs
1 & 1/2 cup Orzo
2 TBL Lemon Juice
Salt to taste
Nutritional Yeast to garnish

Thanks everyone for the great ideas!!! I've got plenty to keep me busy for a while, but feel free to keep posting any ideas that come to you. A lot of you seemed interested in a new soup recipe so I thought I would oblige. This specific soup idea actually came from Melina... Thanks Melina! Seriously, it turned out so great! It's got a nice amount of heat to it too, which I personally like. Another thing I like about this recipe is that you can totally make it gluten-free if you want. I used gluten-free vegan meatballs and you can substitute a gluten-free pasta for the orzo if you wish.

Now about the meatballs... I used a new brand that I had never tried before. They're gluten and soy free I believe. They're called Bahama Vegan Rice-Meatballs and I found them in the freezer section. I think they were actually pretty good in this soup HOWEVER they're not particularly flavorful by themselves. They had a good texture, but didn't taste "meaty" at all... which some of you might prefer. But if you already have a favorite vegan meatball brand, feel free to just use that :)



Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic a few minutes until translucent. Add the carrots, celery, and Italian seasonings. Saute 5-10 minutes or until soft. Add the veggie stock, tomatoes, and orzo. In about five minutes, add the meatballs. The soup should be simmering, not boiling. In a separate saute pan, saute the spinach with a little olive oil. Add spinach and lemon juice to the soup. Add salt to taste and let it simmer for a few minutes so that the flavors can combine. Serve in a large bowl with some nutritional yeast sprinkled over top. Finally, enjoy and go back for second helpings.

*NOTE: When I came back a little later, I found that the orzo had soaked up all the broth. When I reheated it the next day, I just added more broth to it and it was fine. However, if you'd like to avoid this, I suggest cooking the orzo separately and then adding it to each serving. But if anyone has any tips on how to avoid this, leave a comment below!