Creamy, hearty and aromatic, this plant-based bisque is anything but boring. Enjoy it topped with your favorite cream (we like it with the cauliflower cream used in the ‘yam’ chowder recipe) and, if you’re extra hungry, a hot sandwich on the side. 🙂 Gluten free, plant-based and vegan, nut free, corn free, soy free, low FODMAP and yummy!

So after 6 months of being off nightshades, this soup was a celebration of adding them back into the little one’s diet. So far so good! He used to say he ‘hates tomatoes’ (in retrospect, probably because they made him feel terrible), and now he loves dipping his toasted ‘cheese’ sandwich in this preparation! 🙂

Let’s begin! Jump to Recipe

Saute the Vegetables

Saute celery and carrots on medium heat with a dash of salt and black pepper until tender, about 4 minutes. Add kale and saute for another 2 minutes.

Note: Fennel bulb is a good substitute for celery in this recipe; sweet potato can be used as a carrot substitute, if needed.

Add the gluten free flour of choice and stir to incorporate. One of my go-to options is to use equal parts rice flour, sorghum flour and tapioca starch. Cook for another minute more. Add the diced tomatoes, water (or broth) and dry (or fresh) herbs and bring to a boil.

Cook and Puree the Bisque

Simmer on low-medium heat until the flavors are fully incorporated, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Note: I’ve made this with and without flour and it doesn’t change the flavor, in my opinion, but certainly changes texture. This can also be cooked in the Instant Pot, if desired. See Recipe notes.

Some blenders can tolerate hot foods, most standard blenders cannot. So, if using a Vitamix or similar blender that can tolerate hot foods, transfer to the blender and puree until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Add cream of choice and serve.

If using a standard blender, let cool until the soup is warm to the touch. Blend in batches until pureed. Strain the puree through a sieve over a large bowl. Reheat, add cream of choice and…

Serve!

Print Recipe

Tomato Bisque

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: French

Servings: 4

Calories: 209kcal

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil or butter of choice
• 1 carrot Substitute 1/3 cup chopped sweet potato
• 1 celery substitute 1/3 cup chopped fennel bulb
• 3/4 cup chopped kale, tightly packed About a fistful
• 1 tsp salt to taste
• 4 cups diced or whole tomatoes in juice I use anywhere from one 28 oz can (3.5 cups) to three 14.5 oz cans (~5 cups)
• 3 cups water or broth
• 5 tbsp gluten free flour I use equal parts rice flour, sorghum flour and tapioca starch to make an 'all purpose' flour blend for this recipe.
• 1/2 tsp dry thyme to taste, up to 1 tsp. Substitute a couple sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp dry rosemary to taste. Substitute a sprig of fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp dry parsley to taste. Substitute a couple of sprigs flat leaf parsley.
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions

• Saute the carrots and celery in oil or butter on medium heat until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the chopped kale and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the flour and cook for about 1 minute more. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer (low-medium heat) and cook until the flavors are incorporated. About 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
• If using a high speed blender that can tolerate hot foods, transfer directly to the blender and blend until fully pureed, about 1 minute. Top with cream and serve! If using a standard blender, bring the soup to room temperature, remove any herb sprigs, and puree in batches. Push the puree through a sieve over a large bowl to remove any chunks or fibrous pieces. Reheat, top with cream and serve!

Notes

There’s a lot of wiggle room in this recipe to do what feels right to you and your taste buds. To save time, you could also make this in the Instant Pot under the ‘Pressure Cook’ setting in 4 minutes on High pressure.

We use cauliflower cream in this recipe but you could use a nut or seed-based cream that works for you as well. 

I’m usually all about fresh herbs but I really love the flavor of dried herbs in this recipe, assuming that they have not been on the shelf for ages. Also, the kale goes a long way to add a green punch to this recipe so using dried herbs helped to keep the color as vibrant red as possible. 

 

Tried this recipe or just have something fun to share? I’d love to hear about it. 🙂