Vegan Tomato Gnocchi Soup
Vegan gnocchi soup is packed with flavor and is the easiest weeknight dinner soup! Made with simple, healthy 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!
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make – this tomato gnocchi soup is so simple to make since everything cooks together in just one pot. The gnocchi cooks in the soup during the last 8-10 minutes of cooking, which helps to thicken the soup and make it slightly creamy.
- Simple, healthy ingredients – this vegan gnocchi soup tastes indulgent but it’s really made with super simple ingredients that you can find in most grocery stores. I used cauliflower gnocchi which you can only find at Trader Joe’s but you can find potato gnocchi in most stores (check the pasta section, the frozen section or anywhere they may sell fresh pasta). If you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, you can get all the ingredients for this tomato gnocchi soup there on a budget!
- One pot meal – everything cooks together in one pot, making clean up a breeze! This also allows the soup to get slightly thicker as the gnocchi soup, making it slightly creamy and really indulgent. As the gnocchi continue to sit in the soup, it will get thicker and thicker.
Ingredients
- Onion and garlic – onions and garlic provide aromatics and are the base of the flavor for the soup. You will want to use yellow onions or white onions, I don’t recommend red onions for this. If you are short on time, you can use dried minced garlic (about 2 teaspoons) and dried onion flakes (about 1 tablespoon).
- Vegetable broth – vegetable broth helps to make the soup taste like it was cooking all day. The broth provides so much more flavor than water. You can also use chicken broth or stock in place of the vegetable broth if you are not vegan.
- Diced tomatoes – the diced tomatoes help to add both texture and flavor to the soup, but if you only have crushed, you can use those as well. I like to use fire roasted tomatoes, but if you cannot find them, you can use regular diced tomatoes.
- 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. If you only have dried sundried tomatoes, soak them in boiling hot water for 10 minutes and add a little of the soaking water to the soup.
- Spices: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt – these spices help to provide flavor to the soup and are all easy to find.
- Gnocchi – I used cauliflower gnocchi in this recipe is gluten free, grain free, vegan and paleo friendly and also very easy for me to find. You can find cauliflower gnocchi in the frozen section of Trader Joe’s. You can also use potato based gnocchi, which come fresh, frozen or vacuum sealed in the same section as pasta.
- White beans (great northern white beans, cannellini, navy) – white beans help to make this soup a meal, they are filling and packed with fiber and protein. You can use whatever white beans you have on hand, even chickpeas will work! You will want to be sure to rinse and drain the beans before adding them to the soup.
- Baby spinach – spinach adds color and another vegetable to the soup. It wilts down quickly at the very end and really makes the soup visually appealing.
How to make tomato gnocchi soup
Check out the step by step story on how to make vegan gnocchi soup.
Start by chopping the onion and finely chop the garlic.
Preheat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Once the pot is hot, add olive oil to the pot and the diced onions.
Cook the onions for 3-4 minutes until they start to become translucent. After 3-4 minutes, add the finely chopped garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.
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).
Once the bottom of the pot has been scraped down, add the rest of the vegetable broth, the diced tomatoes, spices and sundried tomatoes. Cook over high heat until boiling.
While the soup is coming up to a boil, rinse and drain the white beans.
Once the soup is boiling, add the white beans and gnocchi and cook for 8 minutes.
After 8 minutes, add the spinach and turn off the heat. Stir the soup allowing the spinach to wilt. Serve hot.
Top tips
- The cooking time for you gnocchi may differ slightly based on what kind of gnocchi and what brand you are using.
- You want the gnocchi to be pillow soft – similar to a dumpling. You can carefully pull one out of the soup and test the texture after letting it cool slightly (don’t burn your tongue).
- 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.
- As the gnocchi cook, it releases starch which helps to thicken the soup making it slightly creamy. Like other pasta or rice based soups, the gnocchi will make the soup very thick if stored overnight in the fridge. You will want to add more broth or water to the soup before reheating or it will be more like a stew.
- If you are using frozen gnocchi, there is no need to thaw the gnocchi before adding to the soup. In fact thawing it ahead of time could make it start to disintegrate in the soup if cooked too long.
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 if you wanted to serve it with a salad, bread or appetizers to make it go further as a meal these would go great with the soup:
- Salad – Tomato Basil Salad, Green Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing, Italian White Bean Salad, Asparagus Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing.
- Bread/crackers – serve with your favorite crusty bread, homemade garlic bread or crackers or homemade lentil flatbread
- Appetizers – Air fryer tomatoes or blistered tomatoes (with toast or crackers), pesto hummus or pesto white bean dip with crackers and fresh veggies, or spinach artichoke stuffed mushrooms.
Common Questions
What is gnocchi
Gnocchi are little dumplings typically made from potatoes, flour and egg. However, gnocchi can have a base of sweet potatoes, pumpkin or cauliflower and can be made with different flours (such as cassava or rice flour) and be made without eggs, making them vegan friendly. It’s important that you check the ingredients as not all gnocchi are vegan or gluten free.
Gnocchi typically are boiled in water and served like pasta, which is why many people think that gnocchi are a form of pasta. You can also saute or air fryer 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. Some stores carry mini gnocchi as well which would cook up even faster than the larger dumplings.
- You can also often find gnocchi in the frozen foods section of the grocery store, sometimes close to the other italian inspired frozen meals, and sometimes by the specialty foods. 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, if they have a lot of specialty items, 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) so you may not need to cook these for as long.
Is all gnocchi vegan
No, not all gnocchi is vegan friendly. 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. Although most gnocchi is held together with potato starch (it helps give that light airy texture to the dumplings), many brands also use wheat flour in the gnocchi. 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 these mini gluten free potato gnocchi online or in most specialty grocery stores.
Can you make your own gnocchi
Yes! I love this pumpkin gnocchi (which you could add some sundried tomato oil to for more of a italian flavor).
Note: If you are using freshly made gnocchi, you will only want to boil the gnocchi in the soup for 4-5 minutes, not 8 minutes as stated for frozen or vacuum sealed.
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. If you are going to be short on time and need to make this in advance I would recommend:
- Sauté the onions and garlic, add the broth canned tomatoes, spices and sundried tomatoes and turn off the heat.
- Once cool, move the soup to the fridge.
- Right before serving, bring the soup up to a boil, once boiling add the gnocchi and white beans. Cook 8 minutes, add the spinach at the end and serve hot once spinach is wilted.
Storing leftovers
Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Note that the gnocchi will continue to thicken the soup the longer it’s in the broth. 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! Be sure to store in a freezer safe bag or container (you can pop the frozen cubes out of the Soupercubes to store long term in the freezer). 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 – these provide a base of flavor for the soup. If you don’t have the onion or garlic on hand, you can omit it from the recipe. You can also 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 – vegetable broth helps to add so much flavor to the soup. You can also use chicken broth or stock or water if needed.
- Diced tomatoes – canned diced tomatoes are the best in this recipe, but you can also 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 – balsamic vinegar helps to cut through the canned taste of the tomatoes. You can also use sherry vinegar, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, but balsamic is really the best.
- Sundried tomatoes (in olive oil) – the sundried tomatoes help to add so much flavor to this soup but if you don’t love them or don’t have them on hand, you can omit them. If you only have dried sundried tomatoes, you can soak them in boiling hot water for about 10 minutes before adding them to the soup.
- Gnocchi – if you don’t have gnocchi on hand, you can also use pasta, chopped potatoes (peeled), or even rice (cooked in advance).
- White beans – white beans provide fiber and protein to the soup. You can use cannellini beans, great northern white beans, navy beans or even lima beans. You want to be sure they are cooked in advance (I use canned beans). You could also 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 (shredded chicken would be great, not vegan).
- Baby spinach – spinach adds flavor and color to the soup. You can also use baby kale, chopped kale or finely chopped collard greens.
If you love this recipe, you should try
Tuscan White Bean Soup with Kale
Vegan Tomato Gnocchi Soup
$9.32 Recipe/$2.33 ServingIngredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped - $0.33
- 2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped - $0.12
- 3 cups vegetable broth - $1.32
- 1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz can) - $1.29
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar - $0.31
- 2 tbsp sundried tomatoes in oil - $0.88
- 2 tsp italian seasoning - $0.20
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder - $0.05
- 3/4 tsp sea salt - $0.04
- 1 can white beans (15 oz can) - $0.99
- 1 package frozen cauliflower gnocchi - $2.79
- 2 cups baby spinach - $1.00
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 slightly based on what kind of gnocchi and what brand you are using.
- You want the gnocchi to be pillow soft – similar to a dumpling. You can carefully pull one out of the soup and test the texture after letting it cool slightly (don’t burn your tongue).
- 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.
- As the gnocchi cook, it releases starch which helps to thicken the soup making it slightly creamy. Like other pasta or rice based soups, the gnocchi will make the soup very thick if stored overnight in the fridge. You will want to add more broth or water to the soup before reheating or it will be more like a stew.
- If you are using frozen gnocchi, there is no need to thaw the gnocchi before adding to the soup. In fact thawing it ahead of time could make it start to disintegrate in the soup if cooked too long.
- 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. If you are going to be short on time and need to make this in advance I would recommend:
- Saute the onions and garlic, add the broth canned tomatoes, spices and sundried tomatoes and turn off the heat.
- Once cool, move the soup to the fridge.
- Right before serving, bring the soup up to a boil, once boiling add the gnocchi and white beans. Cook 8 minutes, add the spinach at the end and serve hot once spinach is wilted.
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Note that the gnocchi will continue to thicken the soup the longer it’s in the broth. 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! Be sure to store in a freezer safe bag or container (you can pop the frozen cubes out of the Soupercubes to store long term in the freezer). Don’t forget to label this with the name, date and use by date!
- 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!!