Wedding Soup

In making this Italian wedding soup from my vegan cookbook, I used different pasta, and instead of homemade meatballs I used 2 Tofurkey Italian sausages I found in my freezer.  Instead of raw kale I threw in a bunch of sauteed collards I already had in my fridge.  And sadly, I omitted the mushrooms.
I loved the combination of flavors and textures here, but overall it was a bit bland.  I ended up adding some bouillon concentrate late in the game to compensate.

Also, check out the fascinating folk etymology of "Italian wedding soup"!

Italian Wedding Soup

(from my vegan cookbook)

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 TB olive oil

1/4 c soy sauce

6 cups water/stock

1/4 tsp fennel seed

1/2 tsp marjoram

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp sage

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 bay leaf

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

4 cups of chopped greens

1 c whole wheat rotelle pasta

2 vegan Italian sausages, cut into small pieces

1 8-oz. can tomato sauce

Instructions

1.In a large pot sweat the onion and garlic with the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, on medium heat, until the onions are transparent. Add to the pot the water, kale, fennel, herbs, garlic and onion powder, bay leaf, sugar and liquid smoke and the rest of the soy sauce. Cook this for 25 to 30 minutes, on medium heat, covered. The last 5 or 10 minutes of cooking add the noodles and the greens.
2. Last, add the sausage and tomato sauce and turn the heat up to high and cook an additional 3 minutes. Serves 8 or more.