This vegan Italian wedding soup is delicious, comforting, and full of flavor! Made with hearty cannellini bean “meatballs,” tender orzo, fennel and spinach, it’s packed with vibrant flavors and perfect for cozying up with on a chilly day.
We loved Italian soups in my house when I was growing up, with favorites like pasta e fagioli and minestrone. My mom made Italian wedding soup a bunch of times too, but not until after I stopped eating meat, so I never got it to try it. That was kid of a bummer, because I always thought it sounded pretty cool…except for the whole meat part.
So, I decided I needed some vegan Italian wedding soup in my life. With a little advice from mom I took to the kitchen to get working on a recipe!
The main distinction in my recipe over traditional Italian wedding soup is that the “meatballs” are made out of cannellini beans, and because of this, you’ve got to be a little careful about how you serve it.
The bean balls get baked up, and you’ll want to keep them out of the soup until you’re ready to serve it. Otherwise they might get super soggy and I’m thinking they could even fall apart. Aside from meatballs, this soup includes fresh spinach, fresh fennel, carrots, and little bits of orzo pasta. It’s super cozy and perfect for enjoying on a cold day!
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cannellini beans. These are the base for our meatballs, and I chose them because they’re a prominent ingredient in Italian cuisine. But other types of beans will work just fine too! Chickpeas, kidney beans, and lentils are all good choices if you need a substitute.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Fresh basil.
- Panko breadcrumbs. Need to keep the soup gluten free? Use certified gluten-free oat flour instead of breadcrumbs.
- Low sodium soy sauce. Regular soy sauce woks too — just cut the amount in half and add some water.
- Smoked paprika.
- Red pepper flakes. Leave these out if you’re not a fan of spicy meatballs.
- Olive oil. Other high heat oils like avocado oil or vegetable oil will work in a pinch.
- Carrots.
- Fennel. Even if you’ve never cooked with fennel before, don’t skip this. It’s so good and so worth it! And if after making this soup you discover that you’re in love with fennel, be sure to check out my fennel soup recipe.
- White wine. You can leave this out if you prefer to cook without alcohol.
- Dried herbs. We’re using thyme and oregano.
- Vegetable broth. While any vegetable broth will do, I like to use a vegan “chicken” broth for this recipe, since traditional Italian wedding soup is made with chicken broth. I used Edward & Sons Not Chick’n bouillon cubes for the batch shown in the photos.
- Orzo pasta. Other small pasta shapes like acini, ditalini, or shells would also work. Use gluten-free pasta if needed.
- Fresh spinach.
- Salt & pepper.
- Vegan Parmesan cheese. You can use store-bought or homemade vegan Parm to top your soup.
How It’s Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
To make the beanballs, place the cannellini beans into a food processor bowl with chopped onion, garlic, fresh basil, panko breadcrumbs, low sodium soy sauce, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes. Pulse the food processor until everything is well mixed and finely chopped, but not mushy.
Roll the bean mixture into balls and arrange them on a baking sheet that’s been lined with parchment paper. Give them a light spritz or brush with some olive oil, then pop the baking sheet into the oven. Let the balls bake until they’re dried out a bit and browned on the bottoms.
Tip: If you want to save time, feel free to use store-bought vegan meatballs or vegan sausage instead of making your own.
Heat some olive oil in a large pot while the balls bake. Add diced onion, sliced carrots, and diced fennel. Cook everything for about ten minutes, until the veggies begin to soften, then add minced garlic.
Add your dried thyme, oregano, and wine. Bring the wine up to a simmer and let it cook for a few minutes, until the liquid is reduced by about half.
Add your vegetable broth and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer for about ten minutes.
Now stir in the orzo. Let the soup continue to simmer until the orzo is al dente, which means it’s almost done but still a tad firm.
Now stir in the spinach, adding it in batches if the volume is too much to cram in there all at once. Continue simmering the soup until the spinach wilts.
Take the pot off of heat and season your soup with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve your vegan Italian wedding soup, place a few meatballs in each bowl, then ladle the soup over them. Top each bowl with some vegan Parmesan cheese and dig in!
Leftovers & Storage
Store the soup and beanballs separately. Otherwise the balls will probably fall apart! Place the soup and balls in separate airtight containers and store them in the fridge for up to four days, or in the freezer for up to three months.
More Vegan Italian Soups
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Vegan Italian Wedding Soup
This vegan Italian wedding soup is delicious, comforting, and full of flavor! Made with hearty cannellini bean “meatballs,” tender orzo, fennel and spinach, it’s packed with vibrant flavors and perfect for cozying up with on a chilly day.
Ingredients
For the Cannellini Bean Meatballs
-
1
(15.5 ounce/439 gram) can
cannellini beans,
drained and rinsed -
1
small onion,
diced -
3
garlic cloves,
minced -
½
cup
fresh basil leaves,
chopped -
1
cup
panko breadcrumbs -
2
tablespoons
low sodium soy sauce -
½
teaspoon
smoked paprika -
¼
teaspoon
red pepper flakes,
optional, plus more to taste -
2
teaspoons
olive oil,
or as needed
For the Soup:
-
2
tablespoons
olive oil -
1
medium onion,
diced -
2
medium carrots,
sliced -
1
medium fennel bulb,
diced -
3
garlic cloves,
minced -
1
cup
dry white wine -
1
teaspoon
dried thyme -
1
teaspoon
dried oregano -
8
cups
vegetable broth -
¾
cup
dried orzo pasta -
6
ounces
fresh spinach leaves,
roughly chopped if they are large (about 6 cups) -
Salt and pepper,
to taste
Instructions
Make the Meatballs:
-
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
Place all ingredients except for the olive oil into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the machine until all ingredients are well chopped and mixed, stopping to scrape down the inside of the bowl as needed.
-
Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls, using about 2 teaspoons of mixture per ball (Note 1). You will get about 30 to 35 of them. Arrange the balls the prepared baking sheet. Lightly spray or brush them with olive oil.
-
Bake the meatballs for about 20 minutes, until they’re browned on the bottoms.
Make the Soup:
-
Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots and fennel. Sweat the vegetables until they begin to soften a bit, about 10 minutes.
-
Add the garlic to the pot and sauté it with the vegetables until it becomes very fragrant, about 1 minute.
-
Add the wine, thyme, and oregano. Raise the heat and bring the wine to a simmer. Lower the heat and let the wine simmer until it has reduced by about half, which should take about 4 minutes.
-
Stir in the broth, then raise heat to high. Bring the broth to a boil, then lower the heat and allow it to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
-
Stir in the orzo. Continue to simmer the soup until the orzo is al dente, about 10 minutes.
-
Stir in the spinach and let the soup continue simmering until the spinach has wilted and the pasta is tender, about 2 minutes.
-
Remove the pot from heat and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
-
Ladle the soup into bowls, then add a few meatballs to each bowl. Serve with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Notes
- You can add a splash of water to the mixture if it seems too dry and you have trouble getting the meatballs to hold together.
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Italian Wedding Soup
Amount Per Serving (2 cups)
Calories 299
Calories from Fat 86
% Daily Value*
Fat 9.6g15%
Saturated Fat 1.6g8%
Sodium 1296mg54%
Potassium 954mg27%
Carbohydrates 33.5g11%
Fiber 8.3g33%
Sugar 4.8g5%
Protein 13.9g28%
Calcium 90mg9%
Iron 3.8mg21%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.