When I was a child, we went to my grandparents every Sunday. My grandma always had a big pan of vegetable soup ready for lunch and I always liked it a lot. I just love vegetables and I love soup. But one of the main reasons I loved it, is because in the soup she always put little meatballs, made by herself, out of mince meat. I was always happy to have a lot. Obviously I don’t like that anymore, but if there is a way to make the little balls vegan, then why not right? A while ago I saw a very nice Dutch blogger (@wateetjedanwel), making the little meatballs out of a vegan mince meat. The brand she used, we don’t have in the UK, but we do have something similar from ‘The Meatless Farm Co’. So I thought I give it a go. I experimented a little to make it taste like my grandma’s and I think I came pretty close. I love this soup so much. It’s just so good! It serves 6-8 people, but I ate the whole pan in 2,5 days, all  by myself.. haha! If you can’t do this (and it’s very understandable if you can’t), you can freeze it too or share with your family and friends. It’s a great family recipe!

VE(GAN)RY DUTCH

serves: 6-8 

soup
-2L vegetable stock
-1 can chopped tomatoes
-1 big onion (chopped)
-2 cups broccoli (chopped)
-2 cups cauliflower (chopped)
-2 cups carrots (chopped)
-2 cups green cabbage (chopped)
-1 cup leek (chopped)
-1 cup celery (chopped)
-1 tbs olive oil
-big handful fresh parsley (chopped)
-2 tbs nutritional yeast
-2 cloves of garlic (minced)
-1/2 tsp smoked paprika
-salt/pepper (to taste)

little meatless balls
-1 pack vegan mince meat (the meatless farm co)
-1 clove garlic (minced)
-1/4 tsp smoked paprika
-1/4 tsp onion granules
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1/4 tsp salt

-Put the onions and garlic in a big soup pan with the oil and fry for about 3 min.
-Add all the vegetables and fry it all together for about 5 min. Keep mixing regularly.
-Pour the vegetable stock over the vegetables, add the chopped tomatoes and let it come to boil.
-In the meantime prepare the little meatless balls:
-Put the mince meat in a bowl and add the spices. Mix it very well, using your hands.
-Roll little balls out of the mixture (about 2-3 cm).
-Add the nutritional yeast and the smoked paprika to the soup and add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
-When the soup is simmering, add the meatless balls and the parsley and let the soup simmer for another 10-15 min.

Will you make this soup? You won’t be disappointed when you do. Please show me your results on Instagram, by tagging me or by using #planetmanel. I’ll give you a shoutout when you do. Thank you! X