Cut the vegan sausages into small pieces and then roll those pieces into tiny meatballs. They don’t have to be perfect! Some rough edges are fine.
Place a large Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and swirl it around. Add the vegan sausage meatballs and let them brown. Depending on the size of your pot, you may have to do this in batches. Once brown on all sides, remove the meatballs and set them aside on a plate.
There should be a good slick of oil left in the pot (if not, drizzle in a bit more). Add the onion, carrots, celery, and fennel. Sauté the vegetables, stirring here and there, until very soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, oregano, basil, nutritional yeast, and red pepper flakes (if using). Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Return the vegan sausage meatballs to the pot. Add the vegetable stock and stir. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the pasta. Simmer the soup, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.
Place the miso in a small bowl and ladle some of the hot stock on top. Use a small whisk or spoon, dissolve the miso in the hot stock before pouring it back into the soup pot. Add the escarole, vinegar and parsley. Simmer until escarole is wilted, about 2 minutes.
Check the soup for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if necessary (see recipe note). Enjoy hot!
Recipe Notes
When selecting vegan sausage for this recipe, go for one that can be roughly rolled/formed into little balls. Beyond Meat’s Spicy Italian sausage links are a go-to for me as they are quite soft and the flavor is complimentary here.
Very small pasta recommendations: acini de pepe, ditalini, orzo, or stellate.
Super important: really watch it with the salt! Most veggie sausages are well-seasoned and boxed broth can be an absolute salt bomb. We also add miso at the end! This is one of those rare recipes where I recommend maybe seasoning with salt and pepper at the very end right before serving.
Little vegan sausage meatballs, tiny pasta, escarole, and a savory miso-enriched broth. The veggie sausage does double duty as both the meatball and a key flavor contributor to the broth. A comforting one-pot vegan Italian wedding soup ready in about 1 hour.