Vegan Smoky Tomato Spinach Soup with Rice! Perfect for chilly evenings or a quick weeknight dinner, this Vegan Smoky Tomato Spinach Soup is bound to become a staple in your kitchen.
Rich, creamy tomato goodness infused with a hint of smokiness, creating a broth that tantalizes your taste buds with every spoonful of this Vegan Smoky Tomato Spinach Soup with Rice. This vibrant soup is generously packed with fresh spinach, adding a nutritious twist to your meal while enhancing the overall flavor profile. Served over a bed of fluffy rice, this dish is sure to satisfies your hunger.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
We absolutely LOVED this recipe, and let me tell you, it has quickly become a family favorite! My dad was practically begging for more kitchen experiments, but when we asked him what we could tweak, his response was simple: “Not a darned thing, it’s delicious!” That’s high praise coming from a guy who’s seen his fair share of culinary creations!
If you’re looking for a dish that will have everyone at the table asking for seconds (and maybe even thirds), you’ve got to give this one a try!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This Vegan Smoky Tomato Spinach Soup with Rice is a heartwarming soup that is comfort in a bowl. Full of creamy tomato deliciousness, this smoky broth is full of rich tomato flavor that includes spinach creating delicious comfort that is spooned over rice.
- Greens: Greens such as spinach and kale are natural spice/herb neutralizers. A soup/stew can taste perfectly seasoned before adding the greens, then once the greens are added, the flavor mellows requiring more seasoning.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes. We use it in this dish to remove some of the tomato acidity (from the tomato paste and tomato sauce) without losing the tomatoey flavor. When you add it, the mixture may bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity. If you prefer that tinny taste that is typically associated with canned tomatoes, feel free to leave it out or only add a pinch.
- Rice Restaurant Style: This soup is best served restaurant style. Most restaurants keep the cooked rice separate from soup broths. The cooked rice is spooned into individual bowls, then the hot soup broth is poured over top. This clever trick accomplishes several things. First it keeps the integrity of the rice from splitting and doesn’t allow it to get mushy. It also preserves the soup broth. Rice is very thirsty, and it will suck up all the soup broth and you are left with a very thick soup-stew. If you keep the soup and rice separate and refrigerate the leftovers, you may find the rice gets stiff, sticky, and clumped together. All you need to do is warm up the rice in a separate bowl, then place it into a soup bowl, then serve with hot soup broth spooned over top.
- Rice Substitutions: You can substitute the cooked rice for most cooked whole grains like quinoa, barley, millet or bulgar. Cooked pasta, like elbows or ditalini works well too!
- Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container.
This soup can be frozen.
Pantry Products:
- Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients. Feel free to use your favorite vegetable broth.
- Miso: We used Miso Master Organic Mellow White Premium Lite Miso, Certified Gluten Free. Miso really lends itself to balancing flavors when you don’t use oil. You can also use chickpea miso for a soy free version.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Kitchen Equipment:
- High-speed blender
- Large stock pot (for cooking the soup)
If you try this comforting dish, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
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Vegan Smoky Tomato Spinach Soup with Rice
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 40 Minutes
- Total Time: 60 Minutes
- Yield: 7 Cups 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Rich, creamy tomato goodness infused with a hint of smokiness, creating a broth that tantalizes your taste buds with every spoonful of this Vegan Smoky Tomato Spinach Soup with Rice.
Ingredients
Base Ingredients:
- 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
- 3 cups water
- 1 Tablespoon white miso paste *
- 1 – [ 8 oz. can ] tomato sauce
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda *
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon dried minced onions
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano (+/-)
- ¼ teaspoon cumin (+/-)
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika (+/-)
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (+/-)
- 1 teaspoon regular chili powder (+/-)
- ½ to 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt (+/-) *
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
Other Ingredients:
- ¼ cup [raw] cashews
- ½ cup water
- 5 oz. fresh baby spinach, rough chop [6 cups lightly packed, chopped]
- Cooked rice (of choice) *
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, allow to soak for 15 minutes, then drain off the water (discard) and set the cashews aside until Step 6.
- Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
- In a large stock pot, add the diced onions, carrots, and celery; sauté over medium heat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 9 minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons or so of water if they start to stick and/or to prevent burning.
- Add the minced garlic and tomato paste, sauté for one minute.
- Add all the remaining Base Ingredients (except the baking soda) and Spice/Herb mix, stir well to combine. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer.
- Add the baking soda, stir well. Simmer at a low-boil for 20 minutes or until the onions, carrots, and celery are perfectly tender.
- Place the chopped baby spinach in the soup, simmer for several minutes.
- Place the soaked cashews into a high-speed blender along with ½ cup water, blend on high until smooth and emulsified, then place into the soup pot, stir well. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Place some cooked rice in the bottom of a soup bowl, then ladle the soup over top, stir well. Enjoy!
Notes
*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Servings: 4-5 ( 7 cups soup base only, not including the rice)
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