High Protein Cottage Cheese Tomato Soup
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Creamy tomato soup with hints of basil and fresh herbs. This high-protein, gluten-free, low-calorie soup uses cottage cheese to provide you with a protein boost and add extra creaminess.
For me, tomato soup is one of the most comforting meals in my recipe book.
While it’s vegetarian and very low in calories, I thought I’d naturally boost the protein in it by adding cottage cheese. And here it is!
My famous cottage cheese tomato soup not only warms your heart, but it also fuels your body. It’s officially one of my best high protein soup recipes ever.
This high-protein soup delivers 15 grams of protein per serving, which we love.
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Pin ItBut, one of the things I love about this recipe is how versatile it is. I’ve tried using it as both a side dish and the main course.
So, if you are looking for a comforting lunch or dinner, you’ll want to keep this recipe close by.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Olive oil (1 tbsp) – Replace it with avocado oil, sunflower oil, ghee, or melted butter.
Yellow onion, finely chopped (1) – Swap with shallots, leeks, or red onion.
Garlic, minced (6 cloves) – You can also use garlic powder (1/4 teaspoon per clove) or use roasted garlic to give it an extra layer of flavor.
Peeled tomatoes (2 28oz cans) – Use fresh tomatoes (blanched and peeled) or canned crushed tomatoes as alternatives.
Vegetable broth (5 cups) – You can use chicken broth, beef broth, or water with a bouillon cube.
Sea salt (2 tsp)
Black pepper (A pinch)
Oregano (1 tsp) – Swap with dried marjoram or Italian seasoning.
Thyme (1 tsp) – Consider using dried rosemary or parsley.
Basil, finely chopped (1 cup) – You can also use cilantro, parsley, or dried basil.
Tomato paste (4 tbsp) – If you want to make it extra special, you can use sun-dried tomato paste.
Cottage cheese (1 1/2 cups) – Ricotta cheese, cream cheese, silken tofu, or Greek yogurt are great alternatives.
GARNISH
Fresh basil, chopped – You can also use parsley, cilantro, or some Parmesan cheese.
How to Make High Protein Cottage Cheese Tomato Soup
Step 1. Grab a large pot and place it over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and onions.
Step 2. Cook the onions until they are translucent, which should take around 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Step 3.Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the cottage cheese.
Step 4. Give it a good stir. Then, bring it to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Step 5.Now, add the cottage cheese.
Step 6. Let the soup cool down a bit and blend until smooth. It’s best if you can use an immersion blender or do it in several sections.
Step 7.When it’s all blended, garnish with fresh basil before serving.
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Pin ItHow I Would Modify This Recipe
- Add Some Heat: Add some red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or fresh jalapeño slices when you are sautéing the onions.
- Change the Texture: If you prefer a chunky soup, blend only half of the soup to leave some texture.
- Make it Mediterranean: Add sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and oregano.
- Add Some Protein: You can add grilled chicken strips or turkey meatballs.
What I Would Serve with This Cottage Cheese Tomato Soup
- Grilled cheese sandwich
- Garlic bread
- Roasted vegetables
- Garlic pasta
- Avocado toast
- Caprese salad
- Arugula salad
- Avocado salad
My Tips & Tricks
- Full-Fat Cottage Cheese: This will provide a creamier texture. However, if you want to reduce the calories and just boost the protein intake, add fat-free cottage cheese.
- Don’t Boil the Cottage Cheese: Prevent the soup from boiling when you add the cottage cheese; otherwise, it might curdle.
- Let it Cool Down: If you are using a blender, allow the soup to cool down before blending. This is going to prevent pressure buildup.
My Storage Tips
One of the best things about this recipe is that it’s great for meal prepping. Actually, the flavors just get stronger after a couple of days.
Place any leftovers in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
When you are ready to have it again, place it in the stove at low heat and make sure you constantly stir. If it’s too dry, add a splash of broth.
While you can also place it in the freezer (you can keep it there for up to 3 months), it might lose some of its creamy texture.
More High Protein Soups
High Protein Cottage Cheese Tomato Soup
Cals: 206 Protein: 15 Carbs: 30 Fat: 4.7
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 28 oz can peeled tomatoes
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tsp sea salt
- A pinch black pepper
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 cup basil finely chopped
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
Garnish
- Fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Place a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in the olive oil and onion. Cook for 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add the garlic, and cook for another 30s.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot, except for the cottage cheese. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Once it’s done, pour the soup into the blender with parts of the cottage cheese. Blend until smooth. You’ll need to do it a couple of times, so it’s best to have 2 different soup pots to pour the soup in. If you have an immersion blender, just blend all the ingredients together, including the cottage cheese, inside the pot.
- Garnish with fresh basil before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Karolina Thanks for the recipe, I am a bit appalled at the wicked high sodium in this soup and wanted to inquire if you have any suggestions. I am thinking of maybe. using. Ricotta to to cut down on the sodium? Healthy fat content isn’t a concern but high sodium is. How about cutting out the salt in the recipe or at least cutting it down? Hopefully you will get back to me about this. TIA
It will heavily depend on the vegetable broth you use. These calculations are also just estimates. Let’s say if you find a lower-sodium broth, you’ll cut out a lot of the sodium out of the recipe.
Also, remove the salt and cut the cottage cheese; you can use ricotta cheese as well. All of that will cut out the sodium content significantly.
Is the ratio of tomatoes correct for 4 bowls? 2- 28 oz cans of tomatoes because when I modified the recipe for 2 bowls, the tomatoes changed to 1 15 oz can of tomatoes. Plus if it’s only 4 bowls for the recipe, a serving would be over 20 oz because you are starting with 5 cups of broth and 56 oz of tomatoes? Thanks for clarifying. Recipe sounds great but want to make it correctly!
It should be 1 28oz can of tomatoes for 2 bowls. Yes, the serving size per bowl is approximately 22oz, totaling around 2.75 cups per bowl.
The soup is low in calories and worth it! I love my serving sizes a little bigger too, where I come from, our bowls aren’t small either. 😀