This easy cauliflower tomato soup is the ultimate vegan soup- it's thick, creamy and packed with nutrition! Roasted tomatoes, onions and cauliflower, blended with spiced chickpeas this high protein tomato soup is sure to hit the spot.
I love tomato soup. I don't know what it is but it just feels like a warm hug. After eating cans of Campbell's Tomato Soup as a kid I felt a grown up version was in order. This grown up version includes LOTS of hidden vegetables, warm comforting spices and even some plant-based protein. The final product? A vegan roasted tomato soup that will keep you powered and nourished throughout your day.
The ultimate vegan roasted tomato soup
Tomato soup is such a classic. It makes me feel so nostalgic. I remember coming in after playing in the snow all day to a big bowl of tomato soup with a grilled cheese. This cauliflower tomato soup is the grown up version of that. It's full of nourishing ingredients, plant based protein and aromatic spices. Meaning it will it not only tastes amazing, it will always make you FEEL amazing!
Still don't believe me? Here are three reasons why you NEED this nourishing soup ASAP:
- It's full of protein. I love adding spiced chickpeas to my soup for two reasons. One- because they taste AMAZING and two- because they add extra fibre and protein! By adding just a single can of chickpeas, you add almost 25 grams of protein to this soup. So this higher protein tomato soup is more filling and more a balanced meal than your average tomato soup.
- It has sneaky veggies. Sneaky veggies: my favourite way to get veggie haters to try new vegetables. This soup contains THREE CUPS of cauliflower (and I promise you can't even taste it). Not only does it add fibre, and nutrients, it also helps make this the creamiest tomato soup you will ever eat.
- It's packed with flavour. By adding a few spices to your chickpeas you get the BEST flavour. Say goodbye to boring, canned tomato soup and hello to a flavourful and aromatic tomato soup exploding with cozy spices.
Serving suggestions
This cauliflower tomato soup pairs perfectly with a toasted baguette, naan bread or even a grilled cheese. Now if you're going for that true nostalgic meal the classic grilled cheese is the way to go! The key to the perfect grilled cheese? A little mayo on the bread, a sharp cheddar inside and adding a few drops of water into the pan before putting the lid on! If you haven't tried it this way.... TRUST ME you need too!
My new favourite addition? These air fryer grilled cheese roll ups!
All you have to do is take a slice of bread and slice off the crust ( or use this tramezzini!), use a rolling pin to gently roll out the bread to create a larger surface area, spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on one side. Add two square slices of cheese and two slices of deli meat to the center of the tramezzini (or one of each if using bread), roll that up (if using tramezzini, slice it in half first!), and air fry for about 5 minutes or until the cheese melts and the bread turns golden brown. Voila you have the perfect little air fryer grilled cheese roll ups!
What Ingredients do I need for this higher protein tomato soup?
Chickpeas- A little plant based protein for this protien tomato soup! I love the creaminess the chickpeas add to this soup. I have only ever used canned chickpeas (because let's face it I'm lazy) but dried chickpeas would work as long as they were prepared ahead of time.
Cauliflower- No grown up soup is complete without hidden veggies! Cauliflower is the perfect vegetable to add a little thickness and creaminess to this soup while also adding nutrients.
Tomato- You can't have tomato soup without tomatoes! For this recipe we roast the tomatoes in the oven first to get a little bit of that fire roasted flavour. Feel free to use whatever tomatoes you have on hand. I've used a mix of both roma and hothouse tomatoes and it worked wonderfully.
Milk- Choose whatever type of milk you have on hand! Cashew, almond, oat, dairy the choice is yours. Just make sure you are choosing an unsweetened and unflavoured one!
Spices- LOTS of spices. Cumin, turmeric, paprika, chili. All of these spices come together to add the perfect amount of depth and flavour to this vegan roasted tomato soup.
How to make vitamix tomato soup?
Step one: Roast your veggies! Add your tomatoes, sliced garlic, onions and cauliflower with olive oil, salt and pepper to a large baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes. Now before you stop reading because that seems like a long time... I promise it's worth it! Not only is it worth it, it also means you have time to accomplish those little things around the house you've been putting off!
Step 2: Chickpea time! While your waiting for your vegetables to roast, add your chickpeas, oil and spices to a medium pan, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. This step is really just to bring out the flavour of the spices, as well as lightly roast the chickpeas to help soften them before blending!
Step 3: Blending! If you have an immersion blender feel free to add all your roasted vegetables, broth and chickpeas to a large pot and blend using that. However, if you are like me and do not have an immersion blender a higher powered blender will work just fine! I like to call this my Vitamix tomato soup because I love using my Vitamix to get the ultimate creamy, smooth texture. I adding about half of the roasted vegetables with half of the chickpeas and half of the vegetable broth and blending until smooth, Once smooth add in the remaining quantities of each and blend again.
Step 4: Heat and enjoy! If using a Vitamix- pour your creamy soup into a large pot, stir in milk and bring to a simmer for 10-15 minutes!
More easy vegan meal ideas
If you love this vegan roasted tomato soup you NEED to try these other cozy meal ideas:
I always love seeing my recipes in action! If you make this cauliflower tomato soup don't forget to tag my on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or a leave a comment below letting me know how they turned out!
Roasted Chickpea and Cauliflower Tomato Soup
Ingredients
Soup Ingredients
- ½ a large head of cauliflower (about 3 cups) cut into florets
- 2 lbs tomatoes (about 6 large tomatoes) sliced lengthwise
- ½ a medium yellow onion (about 1.5 cups) roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic smashed and peeled (not minced)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt divided
- black pepper to taste
- 1 can (540ml) chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 cup milk of choice unsweetened and unflavored
- 900 ml low sodium vegetable broth
Chickpea Spices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ tsp chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the cauliflower florets, sliced tomatoes, onion and garlic to the pan. Drizzle with olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Toss everything with your hands until well coated and roast for 40 minutes.
- While the vegetables cook, prepare the chickpeas by heating oil in a pan over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add spices and chickpeas and cook until fragrant (about 7-10 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside
- When the veggies are done roasting, carefully transfer them to a blender, add chickpeas and veggie broth and blend them together.
- Add the blended mixture into a large pot on the stove over medium heat. Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and a bit more pepper and stir in the milk. Bring to a simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Adjust spices as desired and enjoy.
