Tomato-spinach soup

Tomato spinach soup is a delicious new vegetarian soup recipe with tomatoes, spinach, basil (or basil pesto) and cauliflower rice. And this low-carb, gluten-free soup is inspired by a past favorite garbanzo bean soup.

PIN the Tomato Spinach Soup to try later!

Tomato-spinach soup is a new soup recipe inspired by my love for this chickpea soup that is back in the archives! When I had my annual soup party, the chickpea soup was always a big hit. But now many of my readers don’t want soup with dried beans, and I love this new low-carb soup with the same flavors.

One thing that made the soup so great was the use of a generous amount of chopped fresh basil added towards the end of the cooking time. At my favorite supermarket they sell basil plants in the produce department almost all year round, for fresh basil when it is not garden season. But if that’s not an option for you, the Tomato Basil Soup is also delicious with basil pesto stirred in at the end!

And if you’re celebrating Meatless Monday or just fancy a vegetarian meal every now and then, I hope you’ll give this new meatless soup a try!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is just a list of ingredients; scroll down for the full printable recipe. Or if you want the GO TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, which will take you directly to the full recipe with ingredient quantities.)

What makes the Tomato Spinach Soup so tasty?

This vegetarian soup contains ingredients like onion, garlic, vegetable stock, small diced canned tomatoes and spinach that add a lot of flavor. But it’s the chopped fresh basil (or basil pesto) added at the end that really makes this soup extra tasty.

What if you don’t have vegetable stock?

I made the Tomato Spinach Soup as a vegetarian recipe. But if you don’t normally buy vegetable stock and it doesn’t matter whether the soup is vegetarian, it is also delicious with chicken stock and Better than stock organic roasted chicken base (affiliate link) to replace the vegetable base.

Does the Tomato Spinach Soup taste like cauliflower?

I loved the idea of replacing frozen cauliflower with chickpeas in this soup adapted from an old high-carb recipe. But I know some people aren’t fans of cauliflower. In this recipe, the soup is simmered for a long time and the cauliflower rice largely dissolves in the finished soup. And with all the other flavorful ingredients, I don’t think this soup has a strong cauliflower flavor.

How low in carbohydrates is this Tomato Spinach Soup?

This tasty meatless soup contains only 7.8 net carbs per serving with 3.4 grams of protein!

How to make Tomato Spinach Soup:

(This is just a summary of the steps for the recipe; scroll down for the full printable recipe. Or if you want the GO TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, which will take you directly to the full recipe.)

Measure out two cups of frozen cauliflower rice.
Chop the onion and measure the chopped garlic (or chop fresh garlic). Heat olive oil in a soup pot.
Cook the onion for about 3 minutes, add the garlic and cook for about a minute, add Spike Seasoning and cook for another minute.
I use tomato paste that comes in a tube, but if you have to open a can, just freeze the rest.
Add vegetable stock, water, Better Than Bouillon organic vegetable base (or other vegetable soup base), small diced tomatoes, tomato puree and cauliflower rice.
Let the soup cook uncovered for an hour over low heat. (This will be medium-low on most stoves, but use the setting that doesn’t bring the soup to a boil.)
While the soup is cooking, chop the spinach. After the soup has simmered for an hour, add the chopped spinach and cook for another 30 minutes.
Cut the fresh basil. (I forgot to take a picture of that!) If using basil pesto, measure out 1/4 cup.
After 30 minutes, stir in the chopped basil (or basil pesto). Cook for about 5 more minutes.
Serve the Tomato Basil Soup warm, with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese to add to the table if desired.

Make it a low-carb vegetarian meal:

This simple tomato basil soup tastes great with one of these tasty low-carb breads:

More meatless soups you might like:

Weekend food preparation:

This tasty soup recipe with tomatoes, vegetable stock, cauliflower rice, spinach and basil has been added to the Weekend Food Prep category, where you will find recipes that you can prepare or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Ingredients

2 cups frozen cauliflower rice
1 T olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tsp. Spike herbs
6 cups vegetable stock (see notes)
1 cup of water
1 T Better than organic vegetable stock broth
one 14.5 oz. can small diced tomatoes
2 T tomato puree
5 oz. chopped baby spinach (see notes)
4 T chopped fresh basil (see notes)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

Instructions

Measure out two cups of frozen cauliflower rice and let it begin to thaw on the counter
Chop the onion and measure the minced garlic (or mince fresh garlic if you prefer).
Heat olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat.
Add the chopped onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Add chopped garlic and cook for another minute. Then add Spike Seasoning and cook for another minute.
Add canned vegetable stock, water, Better Than Broth organic vegetable base (or other vegetable soup base), canned small diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and frozen cauliflower rice.
Let the soup simmer uncovered for an hour over low heat. (That will probably be medium-low on most stoves, but use the setting that keeps the soup at a gentle simmer, but not a strong boil.)
While the soup is cooking, chop the fresh spinach.
After the soup has cooked for an hour, add the chopped fresh spinach and cook for another 30 minutes.
Chop the fresh basil, if using. (If you must use basil pesto, measure out about 1/4 cup of pesto.)
After 30 minutes, stir in the chopped basil (or basil pesto). Cook for about 5 more minutes (or just long enough for the basil to wilt or the pesto to dissolve).
Serve the Tomato Basil Soup warm, with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese to add to the table if desired.
I have some of this in my freezer, but I haven’t thawed and reheated it yet. But I suspect it will freeze well.

Comments

Canned vegetable stock are 1 3/4 cup cans in the US. If you don’t want to buy an extra can, just use another 3/4 cup of water with about 2 teaspoons. Better than Broth Organic Vegetable Base.

5 oz. chopped baby spinach is about 4 cups after chopping.

If you don’t have fresh basil, use about 1/4 cup of basil pesto.

Recipe created by Kalyn and Kara, and inspired by a favorite older recipe with chickpeas.

Nutritional information

Yield

Portion size

Quantity per serving

Calories 108Total fat 3gSaturated fat .5gUnsaturated fat 2.3gCholesterol 0.1mgSodium 1733 mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 3.2gSugar 4.5gEgg white 3.4g

Nutritional information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I use. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy as many variables influence these calculations.

Tomato spinach soup in two bowls, square image.

Suggestions for a low-carb diet / low-glycemic diet / South Beach diet:
This tasty vegetarian soup is perfect for low-carb, Keto, gluten-free, and low-glycemic diets, and for any phase of the Original South Beach Diet. (Nutrition information is based on chopped fresh basil, so the soup will have a little more fat and calories if you use basil pesto.)

Find more recipes like this:
Use the Soups and Stews category to find more recipes like this. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTokor on YouTube to see all the good recipes I share there.

Pinterest Image for Tomato Spinach Soup in two bowls.