Tomato Gnocchi Soup

Tomato gnocchi soup is a creamy tomato-based soup loaded with vegetables with soft, pillowy gnocchi. Oil-free, nut-free, and plant-milk-free, this gnocchi tomato soup is to die for. Stovetop, crockpot, and Instant Pot directions included. Ready in under 20 minutes!

As many of you know, I'm a professed soup addict. I love soup regardless of the time of year. And that says a lot since I live in Arizona. Recently, I made a vegan gnocchi soup recipe that my family loved. So, I decided to use gnocchi as the highlight to create a tomato gnocchi soup. Not only is my gnocchi tomato soup creamy, but it is also nut and plant-milk-free. So, if you are looking for a quick and easy meal in under 20 minutes in one pot, give this tomato gnocchi soup recipe a try.

Jump to:

• What is Gnocchi?
• What is Tomato Gnocchi Soup? 
• Soup Ingredients
• Soup Ingredient Substitutions
• Cooking Options
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Great Vegan Soup Recipes to Try!
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

What is Gnocchi?

Despite popular belief, gnocchi is not pasta. Instead, gnocchi is made of potatoes and formed into dumplings. Although generally served as an entree with various sauces, gnocchi also works wonderfully in soups and stews. In addition, most gnocchi is oil-free and vegan. 

Available in the pasta section on the shelf, vacuum-sealed, refrigerated, or frozen in most grocery stores. 

Even though I plan to make homemade gnocchi soon, I opted for the vacuum-sealed variety today. 

What Ingredients are in Shelf-Stable Gnocchi?

For this tomato gnocchi soup recipe, I chose De Cecco Potato Gnocchi 

• Mashed Potatoes 80% [Water, Dried Potato Flakes 24% (Potatoes 99%, Spices)]
• Potato Starch 15%
• Wheat Flour
• Rice Flour
• Spices
• Salt
• pH Control Agent: Lactic Acid, Preservative: Potassium Sorbate

But, other vegan and oil-free varieties are available for sale as well: 

• Bella Terra Organic Potato Gnocchi
• Sanniti Potato Gnocchi
• Delallo Gluten-Free Gnocchi
• Bartenura Potato Gnocchi
• Tuscanini  Potato Gnocchi (these a fun mini version and great for soup)

Beware of brands, however, that contain diglycerides and other hidden fat sources if you are searching for an oil-free version. As a rule, the fewer ingredients in any product, the better. 

Varieties of Gnocchi

• Classic potato gnocchi (some varieties contain egg, oil, and cheese, so check the label)
• Sweet potato gnocchi
• Gluten-free gnocchi 
• Cauliflower Gnocchi

What is Tomato Gnocchi Soup? 

Gnocchi tomato soup is a thick and hearty soup made from vegetable broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, and various vegetables. The creaminess, however, comes from nutritional yeast. So, of course, this creamy tomato gnocchi soup is filled with various vegetables and some unique ingredients.

Even though the soup is typically a side dish, this thick and hearty soup is an entree. I served this soup with crusty bread to sop up every last bit of broth in the bowl. 

Soup Ingredients

• Vegan Gnocchi: (or gluten-free gnocchi for a gluten-free option)
• Onion: I used white onion because I love the combination of white onion, shallot, and garlic. The flavor combination, when sauteed is incredible.
• Garlic: I choose fresh garlic whenever possible for the deep flavor it provides.
• Shallot: While they are related, shallots differ from onions in some basic ways. First of all, unlike regular onions, which grow as single bulbs, shallots grow in clusters, more like garlic. They are a bit sweeter than regular onions, and their flavor is more subtle.
• Mushrooms: I love any kind of mushrooms, but I chose baby portobello mushrooms for this soup.
• Fennel: Fennel has a very mild anise or licorice flavor that can be enhanced or sweetened depending on how it is cooked (or not cooked). When diced and sauteed with onions as one of the first steps when making a soup or stew, fennel becomes very sweet.
• Spinach: Fresh organic, baby spinach is a great way to add greens to a soup. It wilts as soon as it hits the hot soup ingredients, and baby spinach has shorter stems.
• Fresh Basil: I love fresh basil inside as well as garnished in soups and stews.
• Dry White Wine: I used chardonnay. I buy small bottles of wine to use in cooking. (or white vinegar for an alcohol-free option)
• Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: Fire-roasted tomatoes are exactly what they sound like: the tomatoes are charred over a flame before they're diced and canned (sometimes, they're also enhanced with onion and garlic powder). Often, you can actually see the blackened flecks on the tomatoes
• Vegetable Broth: I buy organic vegetable broth from Costco in bulk because I use it so often, and it's cheaper in bulk.
• Nutritional Yeast: The nutritional yeast is the cheesiness and adds thickness to the soup.
• Italian Seasoning: Italian seasoning includes dried basil, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried thyme, and dried marjoram, but there are several variations that also feature additions like dried sage, fennel seeds, or even spices like garlic powder or crushed red pepper flakes.
• Vegan Parmesan Cheese: I make my own vegan parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top of the soup. This ingredient is optional but adds additional flavor to the tomato gnocchi soup.

Soup Ingredient Substitutions

• Choose any gnocchi you prefer. For a gluten-free option, choose gluten-free gnocchi. Sweet potato gnocchi works well, too.
• Yellow onion is a great substitution for white onion in recipes.
• One clove of fresh garlic equals ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic powder. The same conversion applies to dehydrated or freeze-dried garlic or even minced refrigerated garlic.
• I like using red onion if I don't have shallots on hand.
• Any type of mushroom works well for this tomato gnocchi soup recipe.
• Celery or leeks are an alternative to fennel.
• If you use frozen spinach cook it first and squeeze it out before adding it to the soup. I suggest adding it at the end.
• One teaspoon of dried herbs for every 1 Tablespoon of fresh herbs. In other words, use three times as many fresh herbs when the recipe calls for dried and ⅓ of the number of dried herbs when the recipe calls for fresh.
• White vinegar is an alcohol-free option but reduce by one-half the amount.
• Use canned diced tomatoes and add ¼ teaspoon of liquid smoke if you don't have fire-roasted tomatoes. Or, roast your own tomatoes in the oven.
• Soy sauce or liquid aminos is a great replacement for nutritional yeast, or try white miso paste.
•  Try a combination of oregano and basil to replace Italian seasoning in recipes! These dried herbs have the strongest flavor profile in Italian seasoning. If you have dried thyme, you can throw in a little of that as well.

Although I wasn't a fan the first time I tried fennel, I recently recognized its ability to transform flavors into soups, stews, and salads.

I don't particularly like the taste of black licorice.  But when combined with other ingredients, fennel enhances the flavor of different vegetables.

What is Fennel? 

Fennel bulb, which looks kind of like a cross between an onion and the base of a bunch of celery, has a sweet, perfumy, anise-like flavor. Rather than making food taste like licorice, though, fennel imparts a light, bright spring-like quality to foods. Plus, fennel is good for you.

Cooking Options

Stove Top Directions

Once assembled, all you need is one big pot and under 20 minutes from start to finish. 

• In a large pot on the stove, saute the garlic, onion, and shallot over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent. 
• Then, add the wine, and the onions will immediately brown and caramelize. 
• Now, add the mushrooms and fennel and cook until the mushrooms turn brown, stirring while the ingredients cook. 

• Next, add the fire-roasted tomatoes, vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, and Italian seasoning and bring to a boil. 
• Add the gnocchi pieces and stir to separate and cook according to the package instructions (2-3 minutes in the boiling mixture).
• Add spinach and basil, which will wilt upon stirring.
• Remove from heat. 

• Now, serve with optional fresh basil leaves and vegan parmesan cheese! 
• I served it with crusty bread because I wanted to eat every drop of the broth. 

Slow Cooker/Crock Pot Directions

• Add all the ingredients except for the gnocchi, spinach, basil, and optional garnishes. 
• Cook covered for 4-5 hours on high.
• Reduce to low heat setting on the crockpot.
• Add gnocchi, stir, cover, and cook for 45 more minutes
• Turn off the heat add spinach and basil, and stir. They will wilt immediately.
• Serve

Instant Pot Directions

• Set Instant Pot on Saute setting
• Add in garlic, wine, shallot, onion, fennel, and mushrooms.
• Stir in 4 cups of veggie broth and fire-roasted tomatoes, stirring frequently.  
• Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Add nutritional yeast and Italian seasoning.
• Set Instant Pot to soup setting and set a timer for 15 minutes.
• Allow Instant pot to release for about 5 minutes naturally and then quick release.
• Return to Saute mode and add in the gnocchi
• Now add spinach and fresh basil 

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• This tomato gnocchi soup recipe all cooks in one pot in under 20 minutes.
• If using frozen gnocchi, place a cover over the stove pot while it boils for 2-3 minutes. 
• When using gluten-free gnocchi, I suggest cooking the gnocchi separately and adding it to the soup pot at the end.
• When using vinegar instead of wine, reduce the amount by one-half.
• Creamy tomato gnocchi soup reheats well in a microwave on the reheat soup setting or in a pan. 

Try this quick and easy tomato gnocchi soup for a savory comfort food weeknight meal. It will warm you from the inside out.

Great Vegan Soup Recipes to Try!

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