Vegan Tomato Gnocchi Soup
Vegan gnocchi soup is packed with flavor and is the easiest weeknight dinner soup! Made with simple ingredients in just one pot, this tomato gnocchi soup is hearty, nourishing and would even be great for company.
The pillowy soft gnocchi float in a creamy, tomato based soup, making this the ultimate comfort food that you will feel great about indulging in. If you love this soup, you should also try my Mediterranean Vegetable Soup or Tuscan White Bean Soup with Kale.
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make
- Simple ingredients
- One pot meal
- Great for meal prep
Ingredient spotlight
- Vegetable broth – vegetable broth helps to make the soup taste like it was cooking all day.
- Balsamic vinegar – the helps to remove the canned flavor from the tomatoes and balance out the acidity in the soup. Balsamic vinegar is my secret ingredient anytime I’m making a quick cooking tomato dish (just like my 2 minute marinara).
- Sundried tomatoes in olive oil – the sundried tomatoes add so much flavor and umami to the soup. I highly recommend adding a little bit of the olive oil from the sundried tomatoes to the soup as it adds so much flavor.
- Gnocchi – I used frozen cauliflower gnocchi in this recipe but you could also use potato gnocchi.
How to make tomato gnocchi soup
Cook onions and garlic: Chop onions and garlic, sauté onions for 3-4 minutes over medium heat, then add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.
Deglaze the pot: Add about ½ -1 cup of the vegetable broth and scrape the bottom of the pot, getting all the brown bits off the bottom (these are full of flavor).
Bring soup to a boil: Add the rest of the vegetable broth, the diced tomatoes, spices and sundried tomatoes. Cook over high heat until boiling.
Add beans and gnocchi: Rinse and drain the white beans, add beans and gnocchi to boiling soup and cook 8 minutes.
Add spinach and serve: After 8 minutes, add the spinach and turn off the heat. Stir the soup allowing the spinach to wilt. Serve hot.
Top tips
- If using frozen gnocchi, do not thaw gnocchi before adding to the soup.
- The cooking time for you gnocchi may differ slightly based on what kind of gnocchi and what brand you are using. If you are using a shelf stable gnocchi, it will only take 2 minutes of cooking in boiling water.
- If you want a slightly brothier soup, add an additional cup of broth and a pinch of salt (if you are using a no-salt broth) to ensure the flavor is balanced.
- If using dried sundried tomatoes, soak them in boiling hot water for 10 minutes and add a little of the soaking water to the soup.
Other additions
- Veggies: Zucchini (cooked with the onions), chopped artichoke hearts, sliced kalamata olives, chopped kale, carrots and celery (cooked with the onions).
- Spice: Crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika
- Creaminess: Cashew cream (1/3 cup soaked cashews blended with ¼ cup water) , blended white beans (blend a drained can of white beans with 1 cup of vegetable broth or water), coconut milk (the canned coconut milk that is very thick, you could use coconut cream too).
What to serve with vegan gnocchi soup?
This tomato gnocchi soup is a filling meal on its own, but these would all go great with the soup:
- Salad – my two favorite salads to serve along side this soup are Tomato Basil Salad or a green salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing
- Bread/crackers – serve with your favorite crusty bread, homemade garlic bread or pumpkin seed crackers
Common Questions
What is gnocchi
Gnocchi are little dumplings typically made from potatoes, flour and egg.
Gnocchi typically are boiled in water and served like pasta. You can also sauté or air fry gnocchi to give them a crispy exterior instead of eating them like dumplings.
Where can you find gnocchi
Depending on your grocery store, you may be able to find gnocchi in many different places.
- Gnocchi is almost always found in the same section of the grocery store as the pasta. Typically this is dried, vacuum sealed gnocchi and it’s the easiest to keep on hand.
- You can also often find gnocchi in the frozen foods section of the grocery store. If you are looking for cauliflower gnocchi, they are in the frozen section of Trader Joe’s, often by the pizza.
- Depending on your grocery store, you may also find fresh gnocchi in the refrigerated sections by the deli or specialty foods. These fresh gnocchi often cook up faster than frozen (check the instructions).
Is all gnocchi vegan
No, not all gnocchi is vegan, many times, gnocchi is held together with a base of eggs, so it’s important that you check the ingredients.
Is all gnocchi gluten free
No, not all gnocchi is gluten free. Be sure to check the ingredients or look for packaging that specifies gluten free.
If you want to ensure you have a gluten free, vegan friendly gnocchi, you can find cauliflower gnocchi in Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s or these mini gluten free potato gnocchi online or in most specialty grocery stores.
Can you make this in advance?
If you are wanting to serve this to company, I would not recommend adding the gnocchi in advance as the texture of the soup changes as the gnocchi sits in the broth.
Storing leftovers
Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The soup will thicken as it sits. You will likely want to add vegetable broth or water to the soup when reheating, or it will be more like a thick stew.
Freezer: You can store this soup in the freezer for up to 2 months. I would recommend freezing it in individual servings to make defrosting it easier. I use Soupercubes for this and highly recommend them! Don’t forget to label this with the name, date and use by date!
Reheating:
- Stove: Reheat on the stove, covered over medium low heat. Be sure to add extra vegetable broth or water and taste for seasoning before serving. You can reheat the same from frozen, it will just take longer.
- Microwave: Cook on high in a microwave safe bowl for 1-2 minutes. If frozen, you may want to defrost the soup before cooking in the microwave.
Substitutions
- Onions and garlic – use 2 teaspoons of dried minced garlic in place of the garlic and 1-2 tablespoon of dried onion flakes for the onion.
- Vegetable broth – use chicken broth or stock or water if needed.
- Diced tomatoes – use crushed tomatoes or whole tomatoes that you crush by hand or with a spoon. I have not tested this with fresh tomatoes.
- Balsamic vinegar – use sherry vinegar, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, but balsamic is really the best.
- Sundried tomatoes (in olive oil) – you can omit them if needed.
- Gnocchi -use pasta, chopped potatoes (peeled), or even rice (cooked in advance).
- White beans – use chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or even black beans or pinto beans. If you don’t want to add beans (to make this paleo and Whole30 friendly) you can omit the beans or add protein like shredded chicken.
- Baby spinach – use baby kale, chopped kale or finely chopped collard greens.
If you love this recipe, you should try
Vegan Tomato Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz can)
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp sundried tomatoes in oil
- 2 tsp italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 can white beans (15 oz can)
- 1 package frozen cauliflower gnocchi
- 2 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- Chop the onions and finely chop the garlic.
- Preheat a large pot over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add olive oil and chopped onions. Cook 2-3 minutes.
- Once the onions start to become translucent, add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.
- Add about 1/2 – 1 cup of vegetable broth and scrape the bottom of the pot, getting off all the brown bits from sauting the onions and garlic.
- Add the rest of the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, spices and sundried tomatoes. Turn the heat up to high and allow this to come to a boil.
- Rinse and drain the white beans.
- Once boiling, add the gnocchi and white beans. Cook for 8 minutes.
- After 8 minutes, add the baby spinach and stir well. Turn off the heat and continue to stir until the spinach is fully wilted.
Notes
- The cooking time for you gnocchi may differ based on what kind of gnocchi and what brand you are using.
- If you want a slightly brothier soup, add an additional cup of broth and a pinch of salt
- If you are using frozen gnocchi, there is no need to thaw the gnocchi before adding to the soup.
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: You can store this soup in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Stove: Reheat on the stove, covered over medium low heat. Be sure to add extra vegetable broth or water and taste for seasoning before serving. You can reheat the same from frozen, it will just take longer.
- Microwave: Cook on high in a microwave safe bowl for 1-2 minutes. If frozen, you may want to defrost the soup before cooking in the microwave.
I WILL BE MAKING THIS SOUP THIS WEEKEND.
ALSO BELATED HAPPY VALENTINES DAY. PAT
Happy belated Valentines to you too Pat, hope you enjoyed the soup this weekend!
Very easy to make and very flavorful! Will make again!
One of my favorite soups! So glad you loved it too! Thank you for taking time to leave a review!!