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Tomato Spinach Soup is a delicious new vegetarian soup recipe with tomatoes, spinach, basil (or basil pesto), and cauliflower rice. And this soup that’s low in carbs and gluten-free was inspired by a favorite soup from the past that had garbanzo beans.

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Tomato Spinach Soup shown in two bowls with Parmesan cheese and spoons.

Tomato Spinach Soup is a new soup recipe inspired by my love of this soup with chickpeas that’s back in the archives! When I used to have my annual soup party, that chickpea soup was always a huge hit. But now many of my readers don’t want a soup with dried beans, and I love this new lower-carb soup with those same flavors.

One thing that made the soup so amazing was using 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, for fresh basil when it’s not garden season. But if that’s not an option for you, the Tomato Basil Soup with also be delicious with basil pesto stirred in at the end!

And if you celebrate Meatless Monday or just like a vegetarian meal sometimes, I hope you try this new meatless soup!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

What makes the Tomato Spinach Soup so flavorful?

This vegetarian soup has ingredients like onion, garlic, vegetable broth, petite diced canned tomatoes, and spinach adding lots of flavor. But it’s the chopped fresh basil (or basil pesto) added at the end that really makes this soup extra delicious.

What if you don’t have vegetable broth?

I created the Tomato Spinach soup to be a vegetarian recipe. But if you don’t normally buy vegetable broth and don’t care if the soup is vegetarian, this will also be delicious with chicken broth and Better than Bouillon Organic Roasted Chicken Base (affiliate link) replacing the vegetable base.

Does the Tomato Spinach Soup taste like cauliflower?

I loved the idea of substituting frozen cauliflower for chickpeas in this soup that’s adapted from an old higher-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 mostly dissolves into the finished soup. And with all the other flavorful ingredients, I don’t think this soup has a strong cauliflower flavor.

How low in carbs is this Tomato Spinach Soup?

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

Collage photo for Tomato Spinach Soup showing recipe steps.

How to make Tomato Spinach Soup:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. Measure two cups frozen cauliflower rice.
  2. Chop onion and measure minced garlic (or chop fresh garlic.) Heat olive oil in a soup pot. 
  3. Cook onion about 3 minutes, add garlic and cook about one minute, add Spike Seasoning and cook one more minute.
  4. I use tomato paste that comes in a tube, but if you have to open a can, just freeze the rest.
  5. Add vegetable broth, water, Better than Bouillon Organic Vegetable Base (or other vegetable soup base), petite diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and cauliflower rice.
  6. Let soup cook uncovered for one hour at a low simmer. (That will be medium-low on most stoves, but use the setting that doesn’t let the soup come to a boil.)
  7. While soup cooks, chop the spinach. After soup simmers for one hour, add chopped spinach and cook 30 minutes more.
  8. Chop the fresh basil. (I forgot to take a photo of that!) If you use basil pesto, measure out 1/4 cup.
  9. After 30 minutes, stir in chopped basil (or basil pesto.) Cook about 5 minutes more.
  10. Serve Tomato Basil Soup hot, with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese to add at the table if desired.

Make it a Low-Carb Vegetarian Meal:

This easy Tomato Basil Soup would taste great served with one of these tasty low-carb breads:

Less close-up photo of Tomato Spinach Soup in two bowls.

More Meatless Soups you might like:

Weekend Food Prep:

This tasty stovetop soup recipe with tomatoes, vegetable broth, cauliflower rice, spinach and basil has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Less close-up photo of Tomato Spinach Soup in two bowls.
Yield: 6 servings

Tomato Spinach Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

This flavorful Tomato Spinach Soup is a delicious meatless soup that's easy to make on the stove. The flavor is kicked up with chopped fresh basil added at the end, but you can use basil pesto if you don't have fresh basil.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups frozen cauliflower rice
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 T minced garlic
  • 2 tsp. Spike Seasoning
  • 6 cups vegetable broth (see notes)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 T Better than Bouillon Organic Vegetable Base
  • one 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 5 oz. chopped baby spinach (see notes)
  • 4 T chopped fresh basil (see notes)
  • salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
  • grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Measure two cups frozen cauliflower rice and let it start to thaw on the counter
  2. Chop onion and measure minced garlic (or chop fresh garlic if you prefer that.)
  3. Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.
  4. Add chopped onion and cook about 3 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook one minute more. Then add Spike Seasoning and cook one more minute.
  5. Add canned vegetable broth, water, Better than Bouillon Organic Vegetable Base (or other vegetable soup base), canned petite diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and frozen cauliflower rice.
  6. Simmer the soup uncovered for one hour at a low simmer. (That will probably be medium-low on most stoves, but use the setting that keeps the soup slightly simmering but not at a strong boil.)
  7. While the soup cooks, chop fresh spinach.
  8. After the soup has simmered for an hour, add chopped fresh spinach and cook 30 minutes more.
  9. Chop the fresh basil, if using. (If you need to use basil pesto, measure out about 1/4 cup of pesto.)
  10. After 30 minutes, stir in the chopped basil (or basil pesto.) Cook about 5 minutes more (or just long enough to wilt the basil or dissolve the pesto.)
  11. Serve Tomato Basil Soup hot, with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese to add at the table if desired.
  12. I have some of this in my freezer, but I haven't thawed and reheated it yet. But I'm guessing it will freeze well.

Notes

Canned vegetable broth will be cans that contain 1 3/4 cups in the U.S. If you don't want to buy an extra can, just use another 3/4 cup water with about 2 tsp. more Better than Bouillon 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 basil pesto.

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

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 108Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat .5gUnsaturated Fat 2.3gCholesterol .1mgSodium 1733mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 3.2gSugar 4.5gProtein 3.4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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© All images and text ©Kalyn Denny for Kalyn's Kitchen.
Category: Soups & Stews
Tomato Spinach Soup in two bowls, square image.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
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. (Nutritional info is based on chopped fresh basil, so the soup will be a bit higher in fat and calories if you use basil pesto.)

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use the category for Soups and Stews to find more recipes like this one. 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 TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

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