Pillowy tortellini and a velvety tomato-cream broth, enriched with my easy homemade sausage spice mix. Bursting with bold Italian flavors and ready in just 30 minutes, it’s your new favorite irresistible soup.
3/4cupchopped vegan sausageor other protein, like lentils, walnuts, pecans, chickpeas, sausage patties, vegan sausages, seitan, soy curls, or a combination of these
1/2 to 3/4cupchopped yellow or red onion
1celery stalkchopped
3/4cupchopped carrotschopped small
1/2teaspoonsaltdivided
1tablespoonall-purpose flouror gluten-free flour
8ouncestomato puréeor tomato sauce
4cupsvegetable stock
1teaspoonItalian herbsor a mix of basil, thyme, and sage
9ouncesvegan tortellini
1/3 to 1/2cupnon-dairy yogurtor non-dairy cream, or a mix of non-dairy cream cheese and non-dairy yogurt
2ouncesfresh spinachor other baby greens. Or more, to taste.
Grind the spices with a mortar and pestle into a coarse mixture. If you don’t have one, pulse in a spice grinder or coffee grinder. We need a coarse mixture of spices for bursts of flavor. Set this aside.
Make the soup.
Chop all your vegetables and proteins, if you haven’t already. If using a mix of proteins, like walnuts, pecans, chickpeas, sausage patties, etc., chop them together into a coarse mixture. Set these aside.
Heat a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat, and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook for a few seconds. Then, mix in the protein mixture, cook for a minute, then add 3/4 of the spice mix. Stir well, and cook another minute to toast the spices and the protein.
Add in the onion, carrot, celery, and half of the salt. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, adding splashes of water as needed so the vegetables cook evenly. Mix in the flour, then add the tomato purée and remaining salt. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes to deepen the flavor and to mix in the flour.
Mix in the stock and Italian herbs, bring to a boil, then mix in the tortellini. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water or stock to cool the mixture slightly, then fold in the non-dairy cream/yogurt and the spinach. Mix well, and bring to a boil again. Taste and adjust salt, flavor, and herbs. Top with the vegan parmesan and fresh basil, and ladle it into your serving bowls. Sprinkle some of the remaining spice mix over the bowls. For extra heat, add crushed red pepper flakes, as well. Serve with toasted bakery bread or garlic bread.
Video
Notes
Store refrigerated up-to three days, reheat in microwave or a skillet.To use pasta instead of tortellini
Use 4-5 oz of Pasta.
Cook your pasta al-dente separately
Add it to the soup
Flavor Variations:
Add 2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomato and fresh basil.
Instead of store-bought non-dairy cream, make cashew cream: soak 1/3 cup cashews in warm water 10 minutes, drain, then blend with 1/2 cup water until smooth, and use.
This recipe is nut-free and soy-free if you use nut-free and/or soy-free protein, yogurt, cream, tortellini, and parmesan. To make it gluten-free, use gluten-free protein, tortellini and gluten-free flour