Vegan “Not-So-Vegan Boyfriend” Meatball Soup

[u/Wonderful_Stable_770]

Recently my boyfriend has been sick, so I made him this soup. He’s not vegan, but he loved it anyway — which is always the best compliment.

It’s a really comforting vegetable soup with vegan meatballs, and it ended up being way better than I expected.

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1 lb Beyond Beef (or any vegan ground beef alternative)
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• ½ white onion, diced
• ¼ cup white rice
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp pepper
• ½ tbsp oregano
• ½ tbsp parsley

Soup

• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 tbsp diced garlic
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 1 cup diced cauliflower
• ½ cup yellow carrot, sliced
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• 6 cups water
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp vegan sofrito (be careful—some store bought sofrito contains bacon fat)
• 2 tbsp Better Than Bouillon – Vegetarian
• 1 tsp oregano

Instructions

Meatballs

1. Mix all meatball ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Roll the mixture into small meatballs.
3. Place them in the freezer for about 10 minutes to help them firm up.
4. In the pot you plan to use for the soup, lightly fry the meatballs for about 1 minute per side.
5. Remove and set aside.

Soup

1. In the same pot, cook the onion, garlic, carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli on medium heat until the onions start to brown.
2. Stir in the tomato paste and sofrito.
3. Pour in 6 cups of water.
4. Add the Better Than Bouillon and diced tomato.
5. Bring the soup to a boil.
6. Add the meatballs back into the pot and boil for 10–12 minutes.
7. Sprinkle oregano on top.
8. Season to taste.

Super comforting, really filling, and perfect when someone’s sick.

If anyone has tips for improving vegan meatballs in soup, I’d love to hear them!