Quinoa Soup with Mini Vegan Meatballs

This gluten-free quinoa soup with mini vegan meatballs is a hearty, satisfying and comforting meal that's perfect for the whole family. Pair it with a side salad or gluten-free garlic bread.

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Did you have a favorite soup growing up?

For me, it was Progresso's Chickarina.

If you've never heard of it, it was basically chicken soup with the addition of mini meatballs and acini di pepe pasta instead of spaghetti noodles.

Not only was it time to make this childhood favorite vegan, but also gluten-free.

Just one problem...those beautiful pearly pasta dots.

For some reason, it's just not that easy to find a gluten-free version of acini di pepe.

In fact, I only found one brand and it wasn't even available on Amazon.

Since that wouldn't be convenient for most people, I had to go with something else.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town (it was really across the room, but it sounds more intriguing this way), my husband saw me banging my head against the desk as I struggled to come up with a substitute for acini de pepe.

Then he casually commented, "Why don't you just use quinoa?"

Ah-ha!

Oh wait, that's the 80s band. Oops! 🙂

Aha! That's it - quinoa it is!

Glad I though of it. 😉

Jump to:

• Ingredient highlights
• How to make quinoa soup with mini vegan meatballs - step by step
• Ideas for serving
• FAQ
• More vegan soup recipes
• Quinoa Soup with Mini Vegan Meatballs

Ingredient highlights

Once it was established that I would be using quinoa in place of the acini di pepe, it was time to figure out the meatball ingredients.

I looked at the Chickarina meatball ingredients and found they are made with a combination of pork and turkey. So, I decided to use Beyond Meat's Beyond Sausage to make the meatballs instead of a vegan beef substitute.

I originally contemplated using a chickpea or lentil-based meatball but knew I needed something more substantial to hold its own when being submerged in liquid.

I seasoned the meatballs with garlic, parsley, vegan Parmesan, gluten-free bread crumbs and black pepper and used aquafaba for the egg replacement.

The remaining soup ingredients include: olive oil, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, sea salt and black pepper.

How to make quinoa soup with mini vegan meatballs - step by step

First, preheat your oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove the Beyond Sausages from their casings and add to a mixing bowl.

Mash up the "meat" with a fork.

Then add the aquafaba, garlic, vegan Parmesan, gluten-free bread crumbs, parsley and pepper.

Use a spoon, silicone spatula or your hands to mix until ingredients are well combined.

Use a 2-teaspoon or 1-tablespoon cookie scoop (#70 or #100 disher) to scoop out the mixture onto the baking sheet.

Then use your hands to roll into balls.

Bake the "meatballs" at 400° F for 20 minutes.

When they are done, remove them from the oven and set aside until ready to use.

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While the meatballs are cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat in a soup pot.

Add carrots, celery, garlic and onion and season with salt. Cook until veggies are softened, about 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the veggie broth and black pepper and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and use tongs to carefully add the meatballs to the soup.

Then stir in the quinoa.

Continue to simmer uncovered until quinoa is fully cooked, approximately 15-20 minutes.

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Season with additional salt to taste, if desired, before serving.

Ideas for serving

You can enjoy this soup as is or garnish with some freshly ground black pepper, fresh parsley and/or some vegan Parmesan cheese.

This soup pairs perfectly with our easy vegan and gluten-free garlic bread or with our almond flour biscuits.

It's also great with a simple side salad.

FAQ

More vegan soup recipes

• Chickpea Noodle Soup
• Pasta e Fagioli
• Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup

This post originally appeared on Watch Learn Eat on December 4, 2015. It has been republished to reflect both recipe and photo revisions. Changes to the story were also made.

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