This soup is my go to for every rainy day! It's super delicious, full of healthy vegetables and lean protein, and doesn't include any dairy or cream so very low fat! Lastly, and most importantly, a bowl of this is guaranteed to warm you right up on cold winter nights!
30 minute meal, perfect for weeknights
This soup comes together in 30 minutes, and uses mostly pantry staple ingredients such as vegetable broth, canned diced tomatoes, onions, and frozen shrimp! The only time consuming part of this recipe is chopping up all the vegetables finely. However you can easily delegate this task to your food processor and turn this 10 minute step into a 2 minute step, if that!
Ingredients
Fresh Fennel Bulb - Fennel is a bulbous vegetable with a flavor that resembles black licorice and a texture a lot like crunchy celery. However when cooked, the flavor becomes much more mild and pairs well with tomato base dishes.
Green Bell Peppers - Feel free to use any color bell pepper you have on hand, but because green is less sweet, I personally prefer it.
Yellow Onion - What's a soup without a little onion? The diced onion provides flavor as well as a nice texture to the soup.
Garlic Cloves - All recipes benefit from a touch (or handful) of garlic. It is just a fact. And this soup is no different
Olive Oil - A touch of olive oil is necessary to sauté the vegetables and help them brown nicely.
Fennel Seeds - These tiny seeds pack a ton of flavor! Especially when they are combined with the fresh fennel.
Clam Juice - Clam juice is made by straining the liquid of shucked, cooked clams. It has a unique briny flavor that is delicious in seafood dishes, this soup included. I buy this brand from my local grocery store
Chicken or Vegetable Broth - I like to use some broth instead of another jar of clam juice to 1) cut down on salt and 2) cut down on cost. However, you can use an extra cup of clam juice instead.
Canned Diced Tomatoes - Use the full can of tomatoes, liquid included for this soup. This way, you not only get the flavor of tomatoes, but it also adds volume to the soup without having to add anymore salt-heavy ingredients such as broth or clam juice. If possible, save yourself time spent chopping the tomatoes and buy the diced canned ones.
Spinach - This ingredient is optional, but I prefer to add it for its health benefits. You can substitute for equal parts kale.
Steps to make
Step 1 - Finely dice the onion, green bell peppers, fennel bulb, and garlic. You can also chop them in the food processor to save time.
Step 2 - Heat olive oil in a large soup or stock pot then transfer the vegetables in to sauté for 5 minutes. I like to add the fennel first since that vegetable is the sturdiest and takes the longest to cook. Followed by the onion, garlic, then lastly, bell peppers. After the vegetables have been cooking for 3 minutes, add in the fennel seeds and stir.
Step 3 - Once the vegetables have begun to sweat and have softened, add in the liquids so they do not burn. Pour in the clam juice, vegetable/chicken broth, and canned diced tomatoes. I like to add the vegetable/chicken broth as a filler ingredient because clam juice can be expensive. However, feel free to add more clam juice instead. Make sure to add canned diced tomatoes versus whole ones.
Step 4 - Cover the pot and let the soup simmer on medium low for 20-25 minutes to let all the flavors meld together. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Lastly add the Shrimp for the last 5-7 minutes of cook time. To help the shrimp cook faster, stir them into the soup as oppose to letting them hang on top.
Step 5 - For an extra serving of vegetables, add spinach or kale. Do this for the last 3 minutes of cook time so they do not get too wilted.
Step 6 - Toast a French baguette and serve the soup!
Interested in more seafood recipes? Check out some of my favorites:
New Orleans Cajun Butter Shrimp
Citrus and Habanero Poached Halibut
Mediterranean Salmon with Lemon Caper Chutney over Orzo
30 Minute Fennel and Tomato Seafood Cioppino Stew
Course: Dinner, SoupsCuisine: CalifornianDifficulty: Easy6
servings10
minutes25
minutes170
kcalIngredients
1 Fennel Bulb, Diced Finely
2 Green Bell Peppers, Diced Finely
1 Yellow Onion, Diced Finely
6-8 Garlic Cloves, Minced (depending on how large they are)
4 Tbs Fennel Seeds
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Bottles (8oz) Clam Juice
1 Cup Chicken or Vegetable Broth
3 Cans Diced Tomatoes
1 Lb Frozen Shrimp
3-4 Cups Spinach or Kale (Optional)
Directions
- Finely dice the onion, green bell peppers, fennel bulb, and garlic. You can also chop them in the food processor to save time.
- Heat olive oil in a large soup or stock pot over medium heat then transfer the vegetables in to sauté for 5 minutes. I like to add the fennel first since that vegetable is the sturdiest and takes the longest to cook. Followed by the onion, garlic, then lastly, bell peppers. After the vegetables have been cooking for 3 minutes, add in the fennel seeds and stir.
- Once the vegetables have begun to sweat and have softened, add in the liquids so they do not burn. Pour in the clam juice, vegetable/chicken broth, and canned diced tomatoes. Stir together.
- Cover the pot and let the soup simmer on medium low for 20-25 minutes to let all the flavors meld together. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Lastly add the Shrimp for the last 5-7 minutes of cook time. To help the shrimp cook faster, stir them into the soup as oppose to letting them hang on top.
- For an extra serving of vegetables, add spinach or kale. Do this for the last 3 minutes of cook time so they do not get too wilted.
- Toast a French baguette and serve the soup!
What size can of diced tomatoes for this soup recipe?
Hello! I used 14.5oz cans.
What size can of diced tomatoes for this soup recipe? Looks good
Thank you! I used 14.5oz cans.
What size cans of diced tomatoes?
I used 14.5oz cans
The pictures of the meal are very appealing. Think I’ll head to the store before other readers hit the store before the stores I shop at start running out of stock.
Jim F. from Annapolis MD.