Vegan Tortellini Soup with Tempeh Sausage

Ingredients

• 0.75 tbsp avocado oil (For the tempeh sausage)
• 0.5 yellow onion (For the tempeh sausage; chopped)
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning (For the tempeh sausage)
• 2 tsp fennel (For the tempeh sausage)
• 1 sprig fresh thyme (The source says “spring thyme”; interpreted as one sprig)
• 2 leaves fresh sage (For the tempeh sausage)
• salt and black pepper (To taste)
• 8 oz tempeh (Two 8-ounce packs; organic and local recommended)
• 2 cup vegetable broth (Broth of choice)
• 0.5 cup soy sauce (For the tempeh sausage)
• 0.25 cup tomato paste (For the tempeh sausage)
• garlic (The sausage method mentions garlic, but gives no quantity)
• 1 cup roasted unsalted cashews (For the cheese sauce)
• 2 cup water (For the cheese sauce)
• 0.25 cup nutritional yeast (For the cheese sauce)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (Or the juice of 1 lemon)
• 4 cloves garlic (The source gives a range of 3–5 cloves; midpoint shown)
• 0.5 tbsp miso paste (For the cheese sauce)
• salt (A large pinch, for the cheese sauce)
• 1 tbsp avocado oil (For the soup)
• 0.5 yellow onion (Diced, for the soup)
• 5 cloves garlic (Diced, for the soup)
• 0.25 cup sun-dried tomato paste or sun-dried tomatoes (The source allows either tomato paste or sun-dried tomatoes)
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning (For the soup)
• 25 oz tomato sauce (Two 25-ounce jars; the source refers to the creator’s preferred sauce)
• water (Fill each empty tomato-sauce jar with water and add it to the pot; amount not otherwise specified)
• 9 oz vegan tortellini (Two 9-ounce packages)
• 0.5 lb spinach (For the soup)
• vegan Parmesan (For topping)
• fresh basil (For topping)
• olive oil (For topping)

Steps

1. 1

   Make the cashew cream first. Combine the roasted unsalted cashews, water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, miso paste, and a large pinch of salt in a blender.

2. 2

   Blend the cashew mixture until completely smooth, then set the cheese sauce aside.

3. 3

   Make the tempeh sausage. Coat a pan with the avocado oil and add the chopped onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, fennel, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Sauté until fragrant.

4. 4

   Crumble the tempeh into the pan and sauté for 2–3 minutes, until it is well combined with the onion and seasonings.

5. 5

   Add the vegetable broth and cook until the broth has been fully absorbed.

6. 6

   Add the soy sauce and tomato paste. Sauté until the tempeh mixture is golden brown, about 5 minutes, then set it aside for the soup.

7. 7

   Start the soup. Heat the avocado oil in a large pot, then add the diced onion, diced garlic, sun-dried tomato paste or sun-dried tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. Sauté until fragrant.

8. 8

   Add both jars of tomato sauce. Fill each empty jar with water, pour the water into the pot, and mix well.

9. 9

   Bring the soup to a rolling simmer.

10. 10

    Add the prepared tempeh sausage, vegan tortellini, and spinach to the simmering soup.

11. 11

    Mix everything together and cover the pot. Allow the soup to simmer until the tortellini begins to rise to the top and is just about cooked through. The source does not specify an exact simmering time.

12. 12

    Add the prepared cashew cheese sauce and stir it into the soup until the tomato broth becomes creamy.

13. 13

    Serve the soup with vegan Parmesan, fresh basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Notes

The source does not specify the exact quantity of garlic used in the tempeh sausage, the amount of water added from the tomato-sauce jars, or the exact simmering time for the tortellini. The source says to use one serving of the cheese sauce in the soup; this recipe uses the full blended batch.

Nutrition per serving

• soup
• main
• vegan
• dairy-free
• vegetarian
• Italian-inspired
• one-pot
• comfort food