One-pot Vegan Italian Sausage Pasta Soup! It's hearty, rustic and comforting, with a creamy tomato-y soup base, lots of herbs and garlic, vegan sausage chunks and pasta. Ultimate vegan comfort food!
It's time to bust out the giant soup pot because you NEED this Vegan Italian Sausage Pasta Soup in your life.
Like Risi e Bisi and vegan carbonara, it's humble, hearty and rustic and has just about everything you could ever need going on. We're talking creamy, thick tomato soup, lots of garlic, vegan Italian sausages and pasta.♡
And even more than most vegan soup recipes, we're talking comfort to the max. I just want to dive in headfirst.
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How to make Vegan Italian Sausage Pasta Soup
(For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card).
So, here's what's going in that big ol' soup pot:
- Onion, garlic, dried herbs, salt and pepper - Flavour, flavour, flavour. It's important to be generous with them all.
- Vegan sausages -I love to use either my homemade vegan sausage recipe or Field Roast Italian if at all possible. If you can't get them Tofurkey Italian Sausages would be my second choice. And if you can't get those either, any other preferably herby vegan sausages.
- Tomato paste - And lots of it for creaminess and tomato flavour. Don't use canned tomatoes or tomato sauce instead. They don't have the same concentration of flavour or texture.
- All purpose flour - For thickening. This soup is really thick and hearty and creamy thanks to the flour.
- Light coconut milk (from a can) - It must be "light" and not full fat so that you don't get a coconut flavour. Canned because of the creamy, velvety richness which other plant-based milks in a carton do not have. You can use another creamy plant-based milk if you have to, but the soup won't be as creamy and rich tasting. See the recipe notes for my suggestions.
- Dried Pasta - It's cooked right there in the soup and makes it so hearty and rustic and delicious. It also thickens because it's starchy.
- Stock - There seems like an awful lot of liquid in this recipe but don't worry. It's not a typo. The pasta absorbs some of it as it cooks and along with the flour, thickens it all perfectly.
- Kale - The perfect green for soups because it doesn't get too soft and keeps some texture as well as it's lovely green colour. If you are a kale hater please give it a chance in this soup. It is so great in it and doesn't taste obviously kale-y once it's all cooked up. I recommend Tuscan Kale (otherwise known as Cavolo Nero, Italian Kale or Dinosaur Kale) to keep the Italian theme going but if you can't get that regular curly kale will do just fine. Don't consider subbing it for anything else.
- Sugar - Just a tiny bit and something I nearly always add to tomato-based recipes. It really makes the tomato flavour pop and makes a massive difference.
So now you know what's going in your beautiful Italian Vegan Soup, here's how you make it:
Step 1: Sauté the onions and garlic
Step 2: Add the herbs and flour and cook them out for a minute or two.
Step 3: Add the seasoning and tomato paste and stir it all up.
Step 4: Gradually add the stock, working out any lumps as you go, then cook until just starting to thicken.
Step 6: Add the dried pasta.
Step 7: Then the kale and vegan sausage slices.
Step 8: Lastly add the coconut milk and allow to cook until the pasta is al dente ( just tender).
Success Tips
- Make sure your pot is big enough before you start. It needs to hold at least 6 quarts / 5.5 litres.
- Don't reduce the amount of pasta because it will affect the thickness of the finished soup
- Your choice of sausage is crucial for this recipe. They must be a flavourful with good texture. I recommend Field Roast Italian above any other. See the recipe notes for more info.
- Don't overcook the pasta. Serve as soon as it's al dente.
- Don't skip the sugar. It really makes a huge difference to the flavour of tomato-based recipes.
How to serve
This is such a hearty soup that you don't need any accompaniments, except maybe some fresh basil, vegan croutons, and vegan parmesan? My vegan ricotta would also be amazing with it, as would my Vegan Feta Cheese.
If you're extra hungry, bread is always a good option with soup. My No Knead Focaccia Bread works really well with it.
How to store leftovers
Because of the pasta this soup is at it's best when served immediately. Leftovers are still great but the pasta does become very soft once it's been reheated again.
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days and warm only as much as is needed in a pan on the stove top or in a microwave. Be sure to heat until piping hot, but not for any longer to avoid cooking the pasta more than is necessary.
I haven't yet tried freezing this soup yet. if you do let me know how it goes in the comments section.
And so to recap. This Vegan Italian Sausage Pasta Soup is:
- Rustic and hearty
- Filling
- Easy to make
- Full of tomatoe-y, herby, sausage-y flavour
- Creamy and velvety
- Ultra-cozy
- Very family friendly (don't all kids and big kids like tomato soup and pasta and sausages?)
Hungry for more?
Love sausages? Be sure to try my Vegan Sausage Casserole and Sausage Broccoli Rice Casserole too!
Recipe
Vegan Italian Sausage Pasta Soup
Author:Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil , or use a few tablespoons of water to sauté with instead
- 1 medium onion , peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic , peeled and chopped finely
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary , or use mixed Italian style herbs instead of rosemary & thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- ½ cup / 63 g all purpose flour , (plain flour in the UK)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup / 180 g tomato paste , (tomato puree in the UK)
- 4 cups / 32 fl oz / 946 mls vegetable or mushroom stock
- 5 cups / 40 fl oz / 1200 mls water
- 12 oz / 350 g dried pasta
- 4 big kale leaves , with stem removed. Chopped into small pieces.
- 4 vegan sausages , (such as Field Roast Italian style or Tofurkey Italian Sausages) cut into chunky rounds * see notes RE other sausage varieties
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 can / 13 oz / 400 ml canned light coconut milk , or any other creamy plant milk
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add the oil to a large soup pan or Dutch Oven (the pan needs to hold 6 quarts / 5.5 litres or more to make this soup comfortably), and warm over a medium heat.
- Add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes or until turning golden. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the herbs and flour, stir well and cook for about a minute. Add the salt, pepper and tomato paste and stir well again. it will be really thick and lumpy looking. Gradually add the stock about a cup at a time, stirring between each addition to work out any lumps. Then add the water all at once. It seems like a lot of liquid but don't worry. It's how it's supposed to be for now.
- Bring to a simmer stirring frequently. It will start to thicken a little but still be very liquidy. Once simmering add the dried pasta, kale, sliced sausages, sugar and coconut milk. Be sure to add the coconut milk last as the other ingredients will drop the temperature a little and prevent it curdling.
- As the pasta cooks in the soup it will thicken everything up nicely. It is ready to serve as soon as the pasta is tender which takes about 10 minutes. If the soup gets too thick, just boil some water in a kettle and add as much as needed to get the soup to the consistency you like.
NOTES
- SAUSAGES - The flavour of my vegan sausage recipe or Field Roast Italian sausages are incredible in this soup and I highly recommend you use them if they are available in your area. Tofurkey Italian sausages would be my 3rd choice. Because they are already cooked you can slice them up and add them at the end just to heat through. If you choose to use a different variety like Beyond Sausages which aren't firm and pre-cooked, you will need to cut them up into rounds and sauté them separately until cooked before adding them to the soup.
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience. The data is a computer generated estimate and should be used as a guide only.
Debs says
Utterly delicious! Made this for dinner tonight. 5 stars 🌟
Shellie says
This sounds great and we're having it tonight. Is a gluten-free lentil pasta okay to use here? I know gluten-free absorbs more liquid.
Melanie McDonald says
I've never tried it with gluten-free pasta. It does absorb more liquid though and tends to get softer. I would add everything else in the last step (sausage, kale, coconut milk etc), let them warm through, then add the pasta literally 5 minutes before the end so you can hopefully keep it from getting too soft. Serve up while it's still very slightly undercooked and by the time you tuck in it should be perfect. Maybe use just 3/4 of the pasta and see how you go. If necessary you could add a bit of boiling water from a kettle to thin but with less pasta, and slightly undercooking it, it should be fine. Hope that helps!
Shellie says
Thanks, Melanie. It helps...enough to make me go back to what my first pasta choice was, but I thought it might be too big. It's a whole wheat penne rigate. I also have a whole wheat farfalle. Would either of those be doable instead of the lentil? :)
Shellie says
Ignore. My husband chose the penne. Cooking away and smells incredible.
Star says
Just made this soup turned out perfectly. I think I will try the Tofurkey
Italian sausage next to see the difference. Loved the kale in it.
Kaz Smith says
Fantastic! We absolutely loved it. Even the kids did. Thanks Mel!
And we love the light coconut milk addition. Couldn't taste the coconut. It just made it nice and rich.
KM says
Really good without the light coconut milk. Unfortunately the first time I made this that really ruined the whole batch - canned light coconut milk, exactly as described, is still super duper coconutty IMO (I’m in Australia, maybe ours is different??). Not a great match for these flavours. But with cashew milk or soy milk it’s perfect!! I also recommend adding sausage later in the process, so it doesn’t fall apart (if you don’t have access to the recommend brands). Fab for autumn & winter!
Amy says
Another great recipe. This is so comforting and delicious. Made it exactly as written and it was perfect!
Jessica says
Soup was lovely, although I would not put kale or sausages in with the pasta. The sausages were mushy and fell apart. I would throw them in 5 minutes at the end. Pasta I used was same type as photos and it took ages to cook.
Brandy says
This was fabulous!!! I didn’t use the oil but sauté in water. Couldn’t even tell. I also used 1 package of Gardein Italian sausage (that is what I had). No joke it was fantastic!! Wonderful recipe. Will make this again and again! Thanks for sharing!
momog says
Has anyone used an Instant Pot to make this recipe?
How long would you cook it for?
I have all the ingredients, but would love to use the IP vs stovetop :)
A Virtual Vegan says
It's not a very Instant Pot friendly recipe. I wouldn't advise pressure cooking the pasta or the sausage. The pasta would end up way overcooked and the sausage would likely dissolve. You could make the soup base in there, then once it's done, take the lid off, switch to sauté and let the pasta and sausage simmer until the pasta is cooked. It only takes 30 minutes to cook on the stove top though. It will take much longer in the IP by the time you factor in the coming to pressure time and natural release. Hope that helps!
Kirsty Lyons says
Hi , can you freeze this recipe?
A Virtual Vegan says
I wouldn't freeze it with the pasta in it but you could make it without the pasta and just add it when you reheat.
Sarah says
i can’t find lite coconut milk anywhere in this pandemic, would regular work or could i omit?
looking forward to making this for dinner! thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
Get a can of regular full fat coconut milk and dilute it 2 to 1 with water. So one cup coconut milk to 2 cup water. Make sure you stir the can up well first though to distribute the creamy bits.
I didn't have coconut milk at all last time I made it and just used soy milk and it was still good. Not quite as creamy but still really tasty, so there's that option too.
Sarah says
Thanks Mel! This soup is sooooo delicious! wow! super hearty and lots of leftovers for the rest of the week. I ended up using unsweetened almond milk which worked out great! I also found using a whisk helped to get rid of any flour clumps.
I really appreciated the note in the recipe about the pot size b/c I would have used my normal soup pot which would have been too small. i broke out my dutch oven for this cause yes, a larger pot is needed!
Thanks Mel!
Kelly says
This soup is amazinggg. I used beyond meat sausage because that's all they had at my grocery store and I think it was great with it! I also had to use full fat coconut milk because they didn't sell low fat/fat free and I actually don't taste the coconut (or maybe I do but love it anyways) My boyfriend who isnt vegan said he would have never known!
Patrizia says
This is really delicious. I must confess I used pork sausages because there's a pandemic going on and I couldn't find vegan ones that are soya free (little one cannot eat soya). I should have browned them first as they feel apart ?. I also omitted the coconut milk as my can opener broke and my pan wasn't big enough. The only negative is how tedious it was getting the lumps out but it is super yummy and I will certainly make it again, hopefully with the vegan sausages if I can find some next time......
Shanna says
Made this tonight and we loved it. A definite keeper. Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it Shanna and thanks so much for stopping by to leave a rating/review!
Kris says
Pretty good. But the coconut milk was odd - I’m really glad I stopped pouring it in at about 1/4 can, as I realised it was ruining the soup. Maybe coconut milks vary in strength by country? (I’m in Australia). Luckily it was still kinda salvageable with only the 1/4 can in there - still a bit weird though!!
Maybe you could try a bit of cashew cream if you were really wanting that creaminess in there - but tbh it doesn’t really need milk anyway.
I also added a splash of vegan wine, which helped cover the coconut.
Will def try this again, without the coconut.
A Virtual Vegan says
The recipe specifies light coconut milk which doesn't really have much of a coconut taste at all. It definitely doesn't come through at all in the soup. It sounds like maybe you used full fat coconut milk by mistake?