The BEST Vegan Creamy Tortellini Soup!
The BEST Vegan Creamy Tortellini Soup! Has been my best creation all winter. Honestly, my sister and I scarfed this down and then laid comatose on the couch for about 30 minutes afterward. It was SOOOO good! We ate it too fast, therefore, we ate too much, then digested silently on the couch. When we stop drinking our wine because we are too full, you know we’ve hit our limit. LOL.
I had leftover Kite Hill Tortellini in my fridge which is how this idea came to be. Honestly, it had probably been about twenty years since I’d had tortellini soup. One of the most important parts of this deliciousness is using a GOOD marinara sauce. Don’t skimp out!
Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! We ate and drank too much and it was amazing. Loads of FT and Zoom calls with friends and family from my sister’s house. I ended up crashed in a teepee with my kiddo on my sister’s bedroom floor. LOL. Didn’t feel fabulous for my body when I woke up; however, didn’t give two-shits when I went to sleep. 😉
I can’t believe how fast Christmas is approaching. I say this every year like it is somehow shocking. LOL. Anyway, this The BEST Vegan Creamy Tortellini Soup! Would be an awesome addition to any Christmas dinner. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to post some more Just Egg recipes and a bunch of holiday recipes. Enjoy the first week back to the grind! I’m on a 3-hour work reprieve (I have an incredibly odd and disjointed schedule) and fucking exhausted.
Enjoy The BEST Vegan Creamy Tortellini Soup! And let me know if you have soups that you make for Christmas!
Click HERE for more great wintery soup recipes!
One of my holiday faves…
The BEST Vegan Creamy Tortellini Soup!
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients –
1 package (not frozen) of vegan cheese tortellini (I use Kite Hill -their package is 9 ounces)
1 1/2 C small white beans (navy beans)
4 C fresh baby spinach (can swap out for kale)
12 oz vegan sausage (I use Gimme Lean Plant-Based Ground Sausage – roll up in little balls)
3 cloves of garlic – minced
1 medium yellow onion – diced finely
1 Tbl ground oregano (can use fresh)
1 tsp ground basil (can use fresh)
1 tsp fresh thyme – finely chopped
2 tsp fresh rosemary – finely chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper – to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 C vegetable broth
1/3 C vegan milk (I use oat milk)
1 (8-oz) can GOOD tomato sauce (I use Mezzetta Marinara Sauce)
Directions –
Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Once warm, add sausage and cook until lightly browned – about 3-5 minutes
Add garlic, onion, and herbs, salt & pepper – cook for about 3 minutes
Whisk in the flour – about 1 minute
Slowly whisk in vegetable broth and tomato sauce
Add tortellini and beans- let boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes -stir occasionally (tortellini should be cooked and sauce should thicken)
Add spinach until wilted but still bright green – 1 minute
Add vegan milk and any salt & pepper you’d like – stir well – about 1 minute
Done!
Wine pairings –
Red – Amarone
White – Sauvignon blanc
Creamy Cheesy Pasta (Vegan)
Creamy Cheesy Pasta (Vegan) is a go-to in my household. My kid thinks it’s mac n’ cheese so he scarfs it down AND I trick him into eating veggies. Score!!! For me, I love it because it’s incredibly easy, delicious, and healthy. I get loads of nutrients all at once. Lastly, I can make a huge pot and have lunches for me and the wee man for days. Another score for sure! Especially with my insane schedule and life. Time is incredibly valuable!
This is another recipe I made when I was sick. Honestly, I can’t even sit when I’m on my death bed. I feel like if I truly want to shift gears from teaching (I’m a music teacher) to branding myself via this blog, my books, and my upcoming podcast and vlog, I can’t EVER take a break! However, I fuckin’ love it. 😉
I thought I’d share the journey of my weight loss since I spoke about that in the last food post. Down another 3 in a week! Honestly, I tried to cut carbs out completely for a few weeks but it was hard af. Now, I’m limiting them. I don’t mind having one meal a day in carbs. That, I can handle. In a dish like this where the sauce is incredibly healthy, I feel even less guilty. I just re-tweaked my meds and the insatiable appetite did not come back. Fucking phew! How someone gains 60 lbs in 14 months is totally, completely, bat shit crazy, kinda fucked bs. At this point, since the 14 lbs fell off in 6 weeks and I’m still going down, I’m hoping that I’ll have a svelte bod by June. 😉 I miss my bikinis, cute dresses & jeans etc. We need a reunion – ASAP! The way I’m doing it outside of the med switch (albeit the most important part for sure) is by cutting some carbs, cutting some booze, going to sleep earlier, and getting back on the workout train since I just quit my tap dance class. I’m so fucking eager to be myself again, that moving toward that goal quickly is all of the motivation I need. Could I be doing more? Fuck yeah, but this is what’s working for me. It’s what I can give right now. The last thing I’ll say is this, don’t overdo it so you get tired and quit. It’s SO easy to quit. Start small and add on more workouts, dieting etc as you go so you stay in the groove. Gotta be in it to win it, right?! 😉
Happy Monday! -FGG
Here’s a great tune to liven up your Monday blues. 😉
Creamy Cheesy Pasta (Vegan) – Serves 4
Ingredients-
1/2 C raw cashews – soaked overnight from the day prior – drain them now
12 ounces dry elbow macaroni noodles – cooked
1 1/2 C cooked butternut squash – scoop out of the shell
1/2 C carrot – diced & steamed
1 C coconut milk (I use the full fat milk for a better texture)
1/4 C nutritional yeast
2 tsp Dijon mustard (this may sound like a weird ingredient but trust me, it works and is totally necessary!)
1/2 tsp salt (or more to your liking)
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
Pepper to taste
Directions-
Combine sweet potato, carrot, and 1/4 – 1/3 cup of water in a high powered blender (I use my Vitamix) and blend until smooth and creamy
In a bowl, add the cashews to the squash & carrot mix, coconut milk, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, nutritional yeast, black pepper (if using), turmeric, garlic powder, and onion powder – blend until completely creamy & smooth
Pour the sauce over the pasta – mix well
Done!
Pair with:
Red – Chianti
White – Riesling
Beer – Pilsner
Spaghetti Marinara with Chard & Burst Tomatoes
Spaghetti Marinara with Chard & Burst Tomatoes is loaded with veggies and incredibly healthy. I had left over vegetables in my fridge (as usual) that I didn’t want to go bad so I loaded what I had into this sauce and it was totally amazing! I am not a lover of anything bland so I am always guaranteeing a ton of flavor in my recipes! This one is no exception. I literally ate the entire pot of pasta in 2 days. Perhaps this is yet another reason why I am on a no carbs for the month of May (insert the saddest emoji ever right here) diet now. I’ve had a massive affair with carbohydrates over the past year and like most affairs, it’s completely blown up in my face, and then it trickled down to my thighs and some. Now that the weather is warm, I am missing my wardrobe, another thing that this “affair” took from me. Sigh, sigh, sigh… However, if you’re NOT reeling from a breakup with pastas and the like, than this is a fabulous Italian spaghetti dish that I highly recommend you eat… for me, if not for yourself. I can try and live vicariously I suppose. I’m gonna keep this short today, as I am short of time. Live, eat, (diet), be happy! 😉 XO
As per usual, my listening suggestion for you whilst you chef up this dope dish! MWAH!:
- 1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
- 24 oz jar of marinara sauce (I use Mezzetta)
- 2 Tbl olive oil
- 1 shallot - diced
- 3 cloves of garlic - diced
- 1 C cherry tomatoes
- 2 C chard
- 1 1/2 C sliced red and yellow (or just one or the other) sweet small peppers
- 3/4 C cannellini beans
- 1/2 C fresh basil - chopped
- 1 tsp fresh oregano - chopped (optional)
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Nutritional yeast to taste for serving (optional)
- Start boiling the pasta (I like to cook it al dente)
- While pasta is cooking, heat a pan on medium with olive oil
- Add shallot and stir often for 3 minutes
- Add garlic and stir often for 2 minutes more
- Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt - stir occasionally and cook for 5 minutes
- Add beans, peppers, oregano, basil, salt & pepper - stir for approximately 3 more minutes
- Add marinara sauce, chard, red pepper flakes, plus any additional salt & pepper and stir for about 5 minutes more
- Pour sauce over pasta and serve with nutritional yeast (optional)
- White - Pinot Grigio or Verdicchio
- Red - Montepulciano d’Abruzzo or Chianti
Crazy Creamy Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo!
Crazy Creamy Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo! Totally satisfies my creamy pasta cravings. I’ve read so many recipes about how to make a vegan version of fettuccine alfredo but wasn’t loving the seemingly bland ingredient lists in these sauces. This recipe is somewhat plant-based, but also uses heavier ingredients like a true alfredo sauce would. This is how I finallllly came to create an actual delicious version of vegan fettuccine alfredo! Amen.
My mother used to make an AMAZING alfredo sauce in which she accurately called, “a heart attack on a plate.” So true, but too delicious to care; especially, when I was young and fabulously fit… ahhh… sigh… the good ‘ol days. I ate the shit outta her alfredo and definitely was devouring (very ungracefully might I add) more than a single serving of pasta. I’m now officially salivating on my keyboard. Side note: When I was younger, my mother told me never to eat pasta on a date. Another accurate statement from the madre. If you’ve ever seen me eat pasta, you’d understand. 😉
This recipe blends together cauliflower, cashews, vegan butter and cream cheese, and some. You definitely won’t be disappointed! If you’ve been underwhelmed before by bland alfredo sauces, I definitely encourage you to try this ‘Crazy Creamy Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo!’ recipe, as it is anything but bland! Mangia! -FGG
- 1 lb fettuccine noodles (I used whole wheat)
- 3 Tbl diced yellow onion
- 3 cloves of garlic - chopped
- 1/2 C cauliflower florets
- 1/4 C unsalted cashews
- 3 Tbl olive oil
- 1 - 1 1/2 C unsweetened soy or almond milk (I prefer soy for this recipe)
- 1 C vegetable broth (I use Better Than Bouillon)
- 3 Tbl vegan cream cheese (I use Tofutti)
- 3 Tbl vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
- 2/3 C vegan parmesan cheese (you can buy this OR make your own with nooch, garlic powder, salt, and a nut like almond or cashew)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Optional: Fresh herb for garnish (parsley and basil are common, however, I used chives because they were still in my garden)!
- In a pot, boil water and cook your fettuccine
- In a separate pan, heat to low and add olive oil
- Add onions, a pinch of salt, and stir occasionally for about 4 minutes
- Add garlic and stir occasionally for about 1 more minute
- Turn pan up to medium. Add butter, veggie broth, milk, garlic & onion powder, cashews, and cauliflower, plus any salt and pepper you'd like - stir occasionally until cauliflower is softened (about 10 minutes)
- In a blender (I use my Vitamix), add all of the ingredients from the pan, and blend until perfectly smooth and creamy
- Return mixture to pan on low- medium/low, and add cream cheese and parmesan. Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes (make sure the cream cheese and parmesan has fully blended in), remove from heat and pour over drained pasta
- Serve with garnish
- Feel free to add peas or sun-dried tomatoes to this recipe! I often use both.
- Red- Barolo or Barbera
- White- Roussanne
