Creamy vegan gnocchi soup that's ready in about 30 minutes! If you're looking for an easy recipe for a soup that is full of nutrition, comfort, and flavor, you've found it. This soup is a complete one-bowl meal that's loaded with veggies while being really satisfying. This is a whole food plant-based soup that requires no oil and can be made gluten-free.
This is a soup to have in rotation throughout autumn, winter, and spring. It's a tasty comfort bowl that really satisfies while leaning heavily on veggies.
I highly recommend topping this soup with either Vegan Parm Sprinkles or Nut-free Vegan Parm. The parm could also be stirred into the soup before serving for extra salty richness.
Interested in making your own gluten-free vegan gnocchi? Here's the gnocchi recipe that Rich Roll and Julie Piatt shared with me from their beautiful book, The Plantpower Way: Italia.
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Ingredients
Here are the simple whole food plant-based ingredients needed to make this delicious and nutritious vegan gnocchi soup. I know, it seems like a long list. The ingredients are pretty standard staples, though, so should be easy to find, and they don't take long to put together.
Onion: Any type will do. I'm using a yellow onion.
Mushrooms: Any type will do. I'm using shiitake.
Red bell pepper: I like seeing the pop of red contrasting the creamy soup, though you could use any bell pepper here.
Tip: Bell peppers go on sale at a certain time of year at our local farmers market, so I like to stock up and the store them in the freezer. They freeze well and soften enough to chop relatively quickly. Keep in mind that chopping veggies like this when frozen can negatively affect your knife blade.
Garlic: We're using garlic cloves in both the soup and creamy sauce that we add to the soup - plus some garlic granules to ensure a nice flavorful soup.
Herbs and spices: Ground fennel adds a really nice depth and flavor; since not everyone loves it I've made it optional but do recommend. Crushed red pepper brings a kick and is also optional for those who don't want a kick. Italian seasoning is the base level of added flavor that I would consider necessary here, or you can essentially make your own by subbing with a combo of any of the following: rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme, parsley, basil
White beans: Any white bean, whether it's cannellini, chickpea, great northern, barlotti, would work well here. We're using them in the creamy sauce and the soup itself.
Cauliflower: Provides texture and nutrition. Fresh or frozen will work well. When I'd had too much to work with a couple weeks ago, I froze it and then used it in this recipe. Using precut frozen like this makes the meal come together faster.
Vegetable broth: Use your favorite. I like to use reduced sodium Better Than Bouillon (pictured) because it's easy to have on hand; it does require adding water to it.
Gnocchi: The star! While I'm using the Whole Foods gluten-free cauliflower-based gnocchi, I'm going to acknowledge here and now that it's not the most gnocchi-looking gnocchi. It actually looks more like bay scallops! Thankfully, it's not. This is the gluten-free one that was easy for me to find - you may have access to a more gnocchi-ish gnocchi. Keep in mind that not all gnocchi is vegan or gluten-free, so check your labels for the one most suitable for you.
Spinach: I do recommend using fresh rather than frozen in this recipe, for the best texture.
Basil: Again, fresh is the way to go. I wouldn't skip it because it adds such great flavor to the soup, though the soup would still be good without it. Just not as good.
Lemon juice: A little brightness added to both the creamy sauce and soup.
Cashews: Be sure to get the raw version, not roasted. On the morning of gnocchi soup day, I like to start soaking these in a sealed container in the fridge so they're ready when I'm ready to make dinner. Another option is to simmer them on the stove for 10 minutes before using.
Corn starch and onion granules: These are added to the creamy sauce, which gets stirred into the soup.
Water: You'll need water to thin the creamy sauce, or you could use an unsweetened plant-based milk.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Equipment
Here are the tools you'll need to make this soup:
- 1 cutting board and knife
- 1 set of measuring cups and spoons
- 1 soup pot large
- 1 blender
Instructions
The steps for making this soup are easy and don't require a lot of time.
Make sure you've prepared your cashews in advance (see Ingredients section and the recipe for info).
Water sauté the onion, mushrooms, garlic, and bell pepper, then add the remaining ingredients up through the veggie broth.
While bringing the pot to a boil, blend the creamy sauce ingredients together.
Once boiling, stir in the gnocchi and simmer a few minutes. Then stir in the creamy sauce.
Finally, stir in the fresh spinach, basil, and lemon juice.
Serving
Serve in generous soup bowls topped with fresh parsley, additional basil and crushed red pepper, or anything else you like.
Highly recommended: Vegan Parm Sprinkles or Nut-free Vegan Parm.
Storing
Store in sealed containers in the fridge for up to a few days, or in freezer-safe containers in the freezer for up to a few months.
Tip: If you know you're going to be freezing it, you could skip the final stir-ins (lemon juice, fresh spinach, fresh basil) until you are ready to serve to help ensure a better flavor and texture.
Top tip
Stir the soup carefully after adding the gnocchi to help keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot and prevent them from breaking apart.
FAQ
We're using a small amount of cashews and mostly white beans to make a relatively low-fat dairy-free creamy sauce, which is stirred into the soup. Plant-based milk can also be used, though water works well. I try to avoid using something like coconut milk because it is pretty high in saturated fat.
Related
Looking for other whole food plant-based soup recipes? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite toppings and gnocchi recipe for this soup, in case you'd like to make gnocchi from scratch:
The Recipe
Vegan Gnocchi Soup
Equipment
- 1 cutting board and knife
- 1 set of measuring cups and spoons
- 1 soup pot large
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 1 onion large, any, chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms any, chopped
- ½ cup red bell pepper diced, fresh or frozen
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or blend of rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme, and/or parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules
- ¼ teaspoon ground fennel optional
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- 1 can white beans like cannellini, chickpea, great northern, barlotti; 15 oz drained and rinsed
- 1 lb cauliflower chopped bite sized, about 5-6 cups, fresh or frozen
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 lb gnocchi vegan, gluten-free if needed; see notes for heartier
- 2 cups spinach fresh, large leaves torn
- ½ cup basil fresh, large leaves torn
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or more, to taste
Creamy sauce
- ⅓ cup cashews raw, soak at least 2 hours or simmer 10 minutes
- 1 can white beans like cannellini, chickpea, great northern, barlotti; 15 oz drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon corn starch or potato starch
- 1 teaspoon onion granules
- 1 clove garlic
- ¾ cup water up to 1 cup, if too thick
Instructions
- In advance, soak the cashews in enough water to cover for at least 2 hours, or simmer on the stove for 10 minutes to soften.
- Sauté: Heat a large soup pot over medium heat with a splash of water. Add the chopped onion and mushrooms and stir occasionally until softened. Then add the diced red bell pepper and minced garlic, stir, and cook another minute or two.
- Stir in the Italian seasoning, garlic granules, ground fennel, and crushed red pepper, then add the beans, cauliflower, and veggie broth. Bring to a boil.
- While bringing to a boil, make the creamy sauce: place all of the sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until creamy.
- Once boiling, add the gnocchi. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to simmer about 5 minutes. Carefully stir once or twice from the bottom to ensure gnocchi isn't sticking.
- Stir in the creamy sauce, then the spinach and basil.
- Serve topped with parsley, microgreens, and/or Vegan Parmesan Sprinkles or the nut-free version
- Store in appropriate sealed container(s) in the fridge for up to a few days or the freezer for up to a few months.
Notes
Rough Nutrition Estimate provided by WPRM (based on generic ingredients and limited specification options)
food safety
- Wash hands and ingredients well before using
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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