This Tomato Gnocchi Soup is extra creamy, hearty, and comforting. It's ready in 40 minutes, great for meal prep, and freezer-friendly! It's the perfect soup for cold weather. Gnocchi make this soup more filling so it can be served for dinner on its own. You can keep it dairy-free or add heavy cream to make it creamier!
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Why You'll Love This Tomato Gnocchi Soup
Hearty and comforting - The combination of tomato soup and gnocchi is absolutely amazing. This is one of the most comforting soups you'll ever make. It's so delicious, it literally tastes like a warm hug! You can serve it with some grilled cheese but it's delicious and filling enough on its own.
Easy and straightforward - The soup takes under 45 minutes to make and it doesn't require many steps or any complicated ingredients. You'll first sautee celery, carrots, onions, and garlic, and then add tomatoes, broth, and spices and simmer everything for 15 minutes. Then all you need to do is blend it using an immersion blender and simmer it some more with gnocchi and heavy cream. It requires minimal hands-on work and it's totally fail-proof!
Great for meal prep and freezer-friendly - This soup is perfect for making ahead! You can make a double batch and freeze it for lunches on busy days! Both the texture and flavor stay the same once defrosted and it's as delicious as freshly made soup!
Ingredients
- Canned tomatoes - I like using canned whole Roma tomatoes. It doesn't matter too much whether you use whole or diced tomatoes but I highly recommend using Italian Roma tomatoes because they have the best flavor. I like always buying whole because I find them less watery.
- Tomato paste - This is your classic tomato paste in a tube or a jar. You can use regular or double concentrate for even more flavor. I usually use less if I have a double-concentrated tomato paste.
- Celery, carrots, yellow onion, and garlic - This is the base of the soup and where a lot of its flavor comes from! Fresh vegetables are the best but frozen work as well! I actually like to batch prep my veggies and chop them all and freeze them in separate bags which speeds up my cooking so much during the winter!
- Vegetable broth - I like using quality vegetable broth here but chicken or beef broth is great as well.
- Heavy cream - The recipe has heavy cream to make the soup extra creamy and decadent but it's optional. You can also use vegan heavy cream or good creamy vegan milk instead.
- Gnocchi - I recommend using refrigerated potato gnocchi. You should be able to find them in the refrigerator section next to stuffed pasta in most grocery stores. There's usually also shelf-stable gnocchi in the pasta aisle. The best ones should be made with just potatoes, flour, eggs, and salt. You can also use vegan or gluten-free gnocchi.
- Cooking oil - I always recommend cooking with pure avocado oil because it has a neutral flavor and a high smoke point but any cooking oil you have on hand works. You can also use olive oil here.
- Seasonings - I use any simple mix of dried herbs I have on hand like Italian Seasoning. You can use whatever herbs you have as well. Dried oregano, dried thyme, dried basil, or dried parsley are all great options. The soup is simmered with dried bay leaves. You can also use fresh herbs like thyme, oregano, or rosemary. For every 1 teaspoon of dried herbs, add 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs.
- Balsamic vinegar and cane sugar - I add this at the end to balance all the flavors. You can't really taste it but it just adds that little something. This is a more hearty winter soup so I'm using balsamic vinegar rather than lemon juice. I also add a small amount of cane sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
Variations and Substitutions
- Parmesan or pecorino - I like to sprinkle some grated pecorino cheese (made with sheep milk, it's saltier and more flavorful than parmesan cheese) on top right before serving when I want to make the soup extra fancy. Keep in mind that most parmesan and pecorino are made with sheep rennet so it's not vegetarian.
- Fresh herbs - Add some fresh flavor by sprinkling some finely chopped fresh basil, parsley, or chives on top when serving the soup or you can stir the herbs right in at the end of cooking!
- Make it vegan - Regular gnocchi have eggs in them but I've been seeing vegan gnocchi at various specialty stores so that's definitely an option! Or you can make your own. Use dairy-free cream or coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
- Different pasta - If you don't have gnocchi, you can also add a different kind of pasta or stuffed pasta like cheese tortellini. Keep in mind dry pasta will require more water because it soaks up much more liquid than gnocchi. You can also cook the pasta separately and just add it to the soup after you blend it. You can also use gluten-free gnocchi.
- Make it spicy - You can add red pepper flakes, hot sauce, or chili sauce right before you blend the soup to add a little bit of heat.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Heat avocado oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add chopped yellow onion and sea salt and cook for 5-6 minutes until glossy and slightly golden.
- Add minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until just fragrant.
- Add sliced carrots, celery, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning.
- Stir to mix and cook for a minute.
- Add canned tomatoes including the juices and break the tomatoes up using a spatula.
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- Add vegetable broth, stir in 2 bay leaves, and bring the soup to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes partially covered.
- Take the bay leaves out but don't throw them out, you'll put them back later.
- Blend the soup using an immersion blender until completely smooth.
- Bring the soup back to a simmer and add gnocchi and heavy cream.
- Simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally to make sure the gnocchi aren’t sticking to the bottom.
- Take the soup off the heat and stir in cane sugar, balsamic vinegar, grated pecorino, and black pepper.
- Serve with more grated pecorino, fresh herbs, or more heavy cream.
Tips & Tricks!
- Freeze any leftover tomato paste you know you won't be able to use up - I like to freeze it in the 2 tablespoon version of the silicone souper cubes or in a freezer bag. This is a great way to reduce food waste and it's so easy to add it to future recipes! Just pop out a cube or break off a small piece and add it to your pan!
Serving Suggestions
You can serve the soup as it is or add various toppings. I like sprinkling it with grated parmesan or pecorino cheese and finely chopped fresh herbs like parsley or chives. You can also add homemade croutons like these Sourdough Croutons.
If you want to serve the soup with some grilled cheese, I highly recommend this Goat Grilled Cheese or this Heirloom Tomato Grilled Cheese!
Storing and Make Ahead Options
This soup stores and freezes really well and the gnocchi are the same even after defrosting! This makes it perfect for making ahead and meal prep, especially if you're big on freezer meals like me for busy days!
I like to make a big batch so I have enough for a couple of days and freeze the rest for later in single portions. I love these silicone souper cubes, they're perfect for freezing soup!
Fridge: You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. I recommend waiting for the soup to completely cool down in the fridge before closing it with a lid. Never heat it up more than twice.
Freezer: Store portioned soup in freezer-safe containers in the freezer for up to 3-4 months when stored properly. Defrost in the fridge overnight or in a small saucepan with a splash of water to prevent the soup from burning.
Reheating: Reheat the soup in a small saucepan on medium heat until the gnocchi are warmed through. If you're reheating it from frozen, it will take longer.
FAQs
No, you don't have to cook the gnocchi ahead of time. They will cook in the soup.
Yes, as long as you don't smush them when trying to heat up the soup from frozen, they' look and taste exactly the same as when the soup was fresh. If you're worried about it, you can defrost the soup in the fridge overnight first.
Similar Tomato Soup Recipes
Below are a few tomato-based soups I think you might like if you enjoy this one! You could also add gnocchi to both of those as well following the instructions from this recipe! To see all the latest ones, head over to Soup Recipes!
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Print📖 Recipe
Tomato Gnocchi Soup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Tomato Gnocchi Soup is extra creamy, hearty, and comforting. It's the perfect soup for cold weather, great for meal prep, and freezer-friendly! Gnocchi make this soup more filling so it can be served for dinner on its own. You can keep it dairy-free or add heavy cream to make it creamier!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp avocado oil (or other cooking oil)
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion (1 small onion)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup sliced carrots
- ½ cup sliced celery
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cans of whole Roma tomatoes (2x 28 oz cans)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 16 oz gnocchi
- ½-1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp cane sugar
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup grated pecorino (plus more for serving)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat avocado oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add chopped yellow onion and sea salt and cook for 5-6 minutes until glossy and slightly golden.
- Add minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until just fragrant.
- Add sliced carrots, celery, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning. Stir to mix and cook for a minute.
- Add canned tomatoes including the juices and break the tomatoes up using a spatula.
- Add vegetable broth and stir in 2 bay leaves and bring the soup to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes partially covered.
- Take the bay leaves out but keep them to put back later.
- Blend the soup using an immersion blender until completely smooth.
- Bring the soup back to a simmer and add gnocchi and heavy cream.
- Simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally to make sure the gnocchi aren’t sticking to the bottom.
- Take the soup off the heat and stir in cane sugar, balsamic vinegar, grated pecorino, and black pepper.
- Serve with more grated pecorino, fresh herbs, or more heavy cream.
Equipment
Notes
Storing: Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Wait for the soup to completely cool before closing it with a lid.
Reheating: You can defrost the soup in the fridge overnight first or reheat it from frozen. Reheat in a pot on the stove with a splash of water until warmed through.
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Veronika Sykorova says
One of my go to soups for the winter, it's so comforting and delicious! Hope you like it as much as I do :)