Vegan “Beef” & Pasta Soup

This delicious one pot vegan “beef” & pasta soup is the perfect cozy fall or winter dinner. It’s made up of onion, celery, carrot, garlic, mushrooms, plant-based ground “beef,” herbs, pasta, tomato sauce, coconut milk, spinach and fresh basil. It only requires about 10 minutes of chopping, then everything gets cooked in a big pot. It’s dairy-free and can easily be made gluten-free—you’re going to love it!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 25-30 minutes

Servings: 5-6

Ingredients

• 1 package plant-based ground meat (1 lbs, 454 g)
• 1 large onion
• 2 medium-large carrots
• 3 celery stalks
• Handful of mushrooms (about 6-10)
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper
• 5-6 cups vegetable stock
• 250-300g uncooked pasta (gluten-free if needed)
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 3/4 cup light or full-fat canned coconut milk
• 2 cups spinach
• 1/2 cup fresh basil

Equipment

• Large pot

Instructions

1. Prepare your veggies by dicing onion, finely chopping carrots, celery and mushrooms, and mincing garlic.
2. To a large pot on medium heat, add your plant-based ground “beef” and sauté until browned. Depending on how non-stick your pan is, you could add a bit of olive oil, but the “meat” is usually quite oily.
3. Remove the “meat” from the pot and set aside, then add olive oil and throw in your onion, carrots and celery and sauté for a few minutes. Add in the minced garlic, chopped mushrooms, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and stir well, cooking for another few minutes.
4. Add in vegetable broth, then cover and bring to a simmer.
5. Once simmering, add the pasta. Cover and let cook (for the amount of time on your pasta box directions), stirring every couples minutes. If needed, add a bit more broth, until desired ratio of liquid-solids.
6. Roughly chop spinach and fresh basil.
7. Add in your tomato sauce, coconut milk, greens, and the plant-based ground “meat,” stirring well. Once the greens have softened, remove from heat.
8. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Notes

*Depending on the saltiness of your vegetable broth, you may need more or less salt. Make sure to taste and adjust to your liking!

*Pick your pasta shape of choice (I love a smaller pasta for this soup, even orzo would work!)

*When storing for leftovers, the pasta will absorb most of the leftover liquid and become slightly mushy. Still yummy but just something to keep in mind!