Tomato Rhubarb Soup- Savory Vegan Rhubarb Recipe
If you’re lookin for a vegan rhubarb recipe, maybe even a savory rhubarb recipe, you’ve come to the right spot! Meet our latest favorite way to eat rhubarb- tomato rhubarb soup! It might sound a little odd, but after you try it out you’ll get it- this soup is comforting, savory, a little sour and a little spicy. It’s perfect topped with a little fresh basil, and a great option when you have more rhubarb than you could handle eating in sugary pies and crisps.
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Eating Rhubarb as a Vegetable
I love this soup because it is a fruit and vegetable soup. Culinarily speaking, this soup contains a fruit (rhubarb) and a vegetable (tomato). Botanically speaking, it contains a fruit (tomato) and a vegetable (rhubarb). Perhaps its a good reminder that a lot of the time the perspective we come at a situation with really changes what we see.
Most recipes using rhubarb do use it as a fruit- it has a fresh, bright, and tart flavor that goes perfectly with some added sugar, cooked down into a crisp or pie. And while I absolutely love a sweet rhubarb recipe, I also really like to embrace rhubarb’s vegetable qualities and enjoy the more savory applications of eating rhubarb. This tomato rhubarb soup is a perfect way to really appreciate the sharp sour rhubarb notes, without mellowing them out with sugar.
Looking for Rhubarb Recipes? Try one of these sweet or savory options!
- Vegan Cheese and Rhubarb Danish
- Rhubarb Vegan Hot and Sour Soup
- Rhubarb Mint Salad
- Sub rhubarb for knotweed in this crisp
- Sub rhubarb for knotweed in this compote
- Sub rhubarb for knotweed in this salsa
Grown Up Tomato Soup
I’ve made this soup a few times now, and at some point my boyfriend and I started jokingly referring to it as “grown up tomato soup”. This soup reminds me of the warm, comforting, classic tomato soup I had as a kid, often with a grilled cheese sandwich to dip into the creamy broth. But it’s more than that- it’s also a little sour, and a little spicy- although there aren’t that many ingredients, the flavor is complex and intriguing, and probably not all that kid-friendly. Although what do I know, I don’t generally feed any kids. I found this dish sort of magical, because as I ate it (with a cheese sandwich using a homemade vegan fresh mozzarella) I was really did feel all that childhood nostalgia but in an elevated way.
Making Tomato Rhubarb Soup
I love this soup, and am always surprised how quickly it comes together. It really only needs 10 minutes of simmering (maybe even a little less), to soften the rhubarb, making it easy to make even on warmer summer days. You start by sautéing the onions, and then gradually adding the garlic, rhubarb, herbs, and canned tomatoes. And yes, I used canned tomatoes instead of fresh ones. Fresh tomatoes are a wonderful thing, but I don’t think they’re necessary when cooking- I’d rather save mine for sandwiches and salads. Unlike most fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes are actually picked at the peak of ripeness, and are often even more flavorful than fresh ones. Anyways, after all that’s cooking up, you can add your water (or vegetable broth if you want), and get it simmering. After a few minutes, give it a blend with your immersion blender (or work in batches in a regular blender) and blend it smooth. This is super great with a vegan grilled cheese, and we also made a batch we loved with bits of vegan sausage in it.
Tomato Rhubarb Soup- Savory Vegan Rhubarb Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- Olive oil, for cooking
- 2 cups rhubarb, chopped into pieces
- ½-1 tsp. Hungarian paprika
- ½ tsp. herbs de province
- ½ tsp. dried basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp. vegetarian better than bullion paste
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Dice your onions, mince your garlic, and chop your rhubarb into pieces. Heat a little oil in a large pot, and add the onions, sautéing for a minute or two until they’ve softened. Add the garlic and rhubarb, and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the herbs, and stir in well before adding the tomatoes. Cook for another minute before adding 4 cups of water, along with the better than bullion paste. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, letting it simmer for around 10 minutes or until the rhubarb is soft.
- Once the rhubarb is well cooked, remove the bay leaf from the pot and use your immersion blender to blend into a smooth and creamy soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and if you want a little more kick you can add a little more of the Hungarian paprika. Serve warm, and garnish with fresh basil if desired.
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Interesting tangy recipe. Thanks.
it would have been helpful for you to have provided the Yield of this recipe and to have specified the 4 Cups of water among the Ingredients. It is difficult to calculate the yield by adding up 2 cups of rhubarb, 15 oz of tomatoes, and then 4 cups of broth and guessing at absorption .
From a protocol point of view, a specific direction to add tomatoes helps the cook, rather than having to read twice to conclude that after the herbs one should affirmatively add the tomatoes. Is it possible your view that canned tomatoes taste better than fresh tomatoes might stem from salt added in the canning process?
Hi Linda,
So glad you enjoyed our tomato rhubarb soup! We really appreciate it when others enjoy the recipes we work on.
I don’t always measure the yields of my recipes, but I’ve been making a point to do so more often. As for your other comments about the recipe format, I do standby my original recipe. Not including water in the ingredients and my writing style is well within a normal recipe format.
Although I’m sure salt doesn’t hurt canned tomatoes tastiness, canned tomatoes do still benefit from being pick ripe. Of course, I would choose a summer garden-ripe tomato over canned any day, but I would pick canned over the unripe and tasteless out-of-season supermarket tomatoes that are available in Spring!