Thick and hearty, this creamy tomato gnocchi soup is easy to make and so delicious. Plenty of veggies, tender gnocchi, cream and Parmesan cheese make it such a comforting homemade soup on a cold day!
I love a good homemade soup recipe, and this creamy tomato gnocchi soup has been on repeat lately.
The ingredients are rather simple, but this soup is super hearty and packs quite a punch in the flavour department. It’s the kind of stick to your ribs soup that you crave on a cold winter day (at least I know I do).
This gnocchi soup is much thicker than your average tomato soup. Of course, the gnocchi itself adds quite a bit of heft to the soup. Plus, the soup is made with a lots of veggies (like celery, onion and carrot), which also adds thickness and a good flavour base.
Ingredients
- Vegetables: Which include carrot, celery, onion, garlic and baby spinach.
- Olive oil: Used for sautéing the veggies.
- Seasoning: Salt, black pepper, dried herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme) and crushed red pepper flakes give this soup tons of flavour.
- Tomato Paste
- Canned Tomatoes: Use a good quality. I like to use either whole peeled tomatoes (San Marzano when I can get them) or crushed tomatoes.
- Vegetable broth: I love to use veggie broth in this soup, but you can swap it out with chicken broth if that’s what you have on hand or prefer.
- Sugar: The addition of sugar may seem odd, but it helps to balance some of the acidity in the tomatoes.
- Potato gnocchi: Use your favourite store-bought gnocchi.
- Whipping cream: 35% milk fat whipping cream adds richness and creaminess to the soup.
- Parmesan cheese: Grate it yourself rather than buying it already grated. You’ll get optimal freshness and taste that way. Some Parmesan cheese is stirred into the soup and more is used as a garnish.
How To Make Creamy Tomato Gnocchi Soup
Here is an overview if how to make this creamy tomato gnocchi soup (full details are in the recipe card below):
- In a soup pot, cook some finely chopped celery, carrot, onion and garlic until the veggies have softened. Season with a little salt and black pepper.
- Stir in tomato paste.
- Pour in the canned tomatoes and broth, then add the sugar and seasoning. Cover ajar and cook for a little bit just to get the flavours going.
- Stir in the gnocchi and cook through.
- Add whipping cream, Parmesan cheese and baby spinach.
- Cook just until the spinach has wilted.
What To Serve With It
This tomato gnocchi soup is pretty hearty all on its own, but you can certainly serve it with something else if you want to make your meal extra substantial. Some of my favourite things to serve with this soup are:
- Grilled cheese sandwich
- Garlic bread
- Crusty baguette or buttery, toasted bread
- Garden salad or Caesar salad
Leftovers
If you find yourself with leftover soup, properly store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within two days. Reheat before serving.
Because of the starch in the gnocchi, the soup may thicken as it cools. When you go to reheat it, you can stir in a little bit of water or vegetable broth to thin it out as necessary.
To reheat, place the soup in a saucepan and heat over medium-low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Tips and Variations
- Use good quality canned tomatoes: Since tomato is such a predominant ingredient in this tomato gnocchi soup, use a decent quality one that you really enjoy. When I can get them, I love to use whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes.
- Thin it out: This soup is nice and thick (which is why I particularly love it on a chilly day). If you want to thin it out, though, you certainly can. Simply add in a little more vegetable broth until you reach the consistency you like best. Also, if you want less body/thickness and a tad less tomato flavour, swap out a cup or two of the canned tomatoes for more vegetable broth.
- Add protein: If you want to make the soup extra hearty, add in some cooked sliced sausage or meatballs.
- Seasoning: I used a combination of dried herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme). You can substitute with Italian seasoning if you prefer.
- Salt to taste: Ingredients like vegetable broth and canned tomatoes can vary greatly in their salt content from brand to brand. Plus, everyone has a difference preference for how they like their food seasoned. Feel free to add more salt to taste once your soup is made.
More Yummy Soup Recipes To Try
If you try this creamy tomato gnocchi soup recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Creamy Tomato Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, or crushed tomatoes (puree the tomatoes with an immersion blender or blender before using)
- 1 to 2 cups vegetable broth, depending on the consistency you want
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you want your soup (plus more for garnish)
- 1 pound potato gnocchi
- ¾ cup whipping cream (35% milk fat), or heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- 2 to 3 large handfuls baby spinach
Instructions
- Process the carrot, celery, onion and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Alternatively, if you don't have a food processor, you can finely chop with a knife.
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. (I like to use an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven.)
- Add the veggie mixture to the pot and cook, stirring regularly, until softened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the cans of tomatoes, broth (I like to start with 1 cup of broth and add more after if I want to thin out the soup), sugar, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and crushed red pepper flakes. Give everything a good stir. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat (to about medium-low) to maintain a simmer. Cover with the pot lid (with the lid ajar) and cook for 5 minutes.Optional: If you want an extra smooth and creamy soup, before adding the gnocchi, you can blend the soup with an immersion blender. I prefer the texture, so I skip this.
- With the soup simmering, stir in the potato gnocchi and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gnocchi are cooked through.
- Stir in the whipping cream, Parmesan cheese and baby spinach and cook just until the spinach has wilted, about 1 minute. If you want the soup to be thinner, add the remaining 1 cup of vegetable broth and heat through. Add more salt and black pepper to taste if necessary.
- To serve, divide the soup into bowls and garnish (if desired) with Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes. Yields about 4 to 5 generous servings. Enjoy!
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
© Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Valentina says
I’ve been a bit gnocchi obsessed lately, so this is perfect! Love it with the tomato and that crusty bread, of course. 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Good timing then! 🙂 Thank you very much, Valentina!
David @ Spiced says
Oh this is my kind of soup recipe! Creamy and hearty…and delicious! I bet all of the herbs give this soup SO much flavor. This is the perfect way to warm up on these chilly evenings that we’re getting here in the early spring. Stay cozy, Dawn!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you, David! It’s such a comforting and delicious soup.
Michelle says
Looks so creamy and flavorful, super comforting! The perfect meal to cozy up to on a rainy day 🙂
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
It sure is! Thank you, Michelle!