Vegan Meatball, Cavolo Nero and Cannellini Bean Soup

This nutritious Vegan Meatball Soup is the perfect comfort food. Get the recipe below.

Healing soups

It’s widely regarded that chicken soup has healing properties and until now I wasn’t sure there was a vegan alternative. But, as we move into cold and flu season, I thought I’d share a plant based soup that is just as nutritious (and delicious)! It’s my Vegan Meatball, Cavolo Nero and Cannellini Bean Soup.

This recipe starts as a herb infused broth spiked with garlic and chilli. The garlic not only tastes great but is a fantastic immune system booster. The chilli is ideal for helping clear your sinuses so you can finally breath! Leafy winter greens are packed full of antioxidants and the cannellini beans are a fantastic source of protein and fibre. The vegan meatballs are just there because they are delicious! And as much as this recipe is all about providing you with a nutritious bowl of soup, it also has to be tasty! In fact, this soup is so tasty you’d be forgiven for not realising it’s health food in disguise.

Because this soup is packed full of vegetables, beans and meatballs it works as a filling lunch or dinner. If, you want to bulk it out even more you could serve it with a couple of hunks of white crusty bread. But, honestly, I don’t think it’s needed!

More plant based soups

• Noodle Soup with Sesame Tofu
• Easy Pea Soup
• Roasted Tomato Soup
• Spiced Cauliflower and Carrot Soup
• Peanut Soup
• Stuffed Pepper Soup
• Spring Greens Soup
• Roast Aubergine Soup

The recipe

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Vegan Meatball, Cavolo Nero and Cannellini Bean Soup

This nutritious Vegan Meatball Soup is the perfect comfort food.

Course Dinner, lunch

Cuisine Italian

Keyword cannelinni beans, cavolo nero, crushed chilli flakes, fennel, garlic, kale, lemon, olive oil, vegan meatballs, vegetable stock, white onion

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Emma Walton

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 16 vegan meatballs
• 1 white onion thinly sliced
• 1 bulb fennel thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 750 millilitres vegetable stock
• 2 tins cannellini beans
• 200 grams cavolo nero (or other leafy green vegetables) roughly chopped
• 2 tsp crushed chilli flakes
• 1 lemon juice and zest

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan and fry the meatballs until they are browned and crisp all over. Transfer them to a bowl for later.

2. In the same pan, fry the onions and fennel with a little salt. Cook on a medium heat for 5 - 10 minutes until they are translucent.

3. Add the minced garlic and cook for a further minute or two before adding the vegetable stock, cannellini beans cooked meatballs and cavolo nero to the pan. Cover and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Before serving, add in a squeeze or two of lemon to the broth.

5. Sprinkle over some lemon zest, the crushed chilli flakes and fennel fronds if you have them.