Tomato Soup
intro
Velvety, rich classic creamy tomato soup with balanced sweet-tart flavor, perfect for pairing with crusty bread or grilled cheese for a cozy, satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Steps
Roast the tomatoes
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Toss halved Roma tomatoes with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, then arrange them cut-side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes until tomato skins wrinkle and edges turn slightly charred.
Sauté the aromatics
While tomatoes roast, melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add finely diced yellow onion, cook for 5 minutes until soft and translucent, then add minced garlic and tomato paste, stirring constantly for 1 minute until the paste turns deep red and fragrant.
Simmer the soup base
Add the fully roasted tomatoes (and all their accumulated roasting juices from the baking sheet) and 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth to the pot. Stir to combine, bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes to let flavors meld.
Blend until smooth
Turn off the heat and let the soup cool for 5 minutes to avoid hot splatters. Carefully blend the mixture in 2-cup batches in a high-speed blender, or use an immersion blender directly in the pot, blending on high for 1-2 minutes until completely smooth with no remaining lumps.
Add cream and season
Return the blended soup to low heat if it has cooled. Stir in ½ cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, the remaining ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper. Stir gently for 2 minutes until the soup is evenly heated through; do not bring to a boil to prevent dairy curdling.
Garnish and serve
Ladle the hot soup into 4 pre-warmed bowls. Top each serving with a fresh basil leaf, a light crack of extra black pepper, and an optional tiny drizzle of heavy cream. Serve immediately with crusty sourdough bread or grilled cheese sandwiches.
Tips
2.If blending hot soup in a countertop blender, always remove the small center cap from the blender lid and cover the opening with a folded kitchen towel to let steam escape and prevent dangerous pressure build-up that can cause hot soup splatters.
3.Never boil the soup after adding heavy cream, as high heat will cause dairy proteins to curdle, resulting in a grainy, uneven texture instead of the desired smooth, velvety consistency.
OMG this soup is a total game changer for our weeknight family dinners! My three kids usually turn their noses up at anything tomato-based, but they asked for SECONDS tonight. So creamy, not too tangy, perfect with a side of grilled cheese. 10/10 will be adding this to our regular rotation.
As someone who can barely boil water without messing it up, this was SO easy to make! 35 minutes total, no fancy ingredients, and it tastes way better than the canned stuff I’ve been living on. Perfect for meal prepping too—portioned out 4 servings for the week and they’re all in my fridge ready to go.
Made this for our neighborhood potluck last weekend and people were begging me for the recipe! I topped each bowl with a crouton and a little fresh basil, it looked fancy but took basically zero effort. Will absolutely be making this again once tomato season hits.
Really solid recipe! Only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is I wish it was a little more herb-forward for my taste. Next time I’ll add a bit more oregano and maybe a pinch of red pepper flakes for a kick. Otherwise, super creamy, great base recipe!
Wait, has anyone tried freezing this? I make big batches of soup for my partner’s work lunches and want to know if the cream separates when you thaw it. TIA!
SO good. I was skeptical that a tomato soup this easy could taste like it came from a fancy bistro, but wow. Used San Marzano tomatoes like the recipe suggested and I think that made all the difference. Paired it with garlic bread for Sunday dinner and my roommate is already asking when I’m making it again.
Loved how velvety the texture was! I used an immersion blender right in the pot instead of transferring to a regular blender and it saved so much cleanup. 10/10, no notes, this is my new go-to tomato soup recipe.
This tastes just like the tomato soup my mom used to make when I was a kid! It’s cozy, rich, and doesn’t have all the weird preservatives you get in store-bought cans. I made a big pot when my grandkids came to visit over the weekend and even the pickiest teen asked for a second bowl.
Made this last night between my kid’s soccer practice and piano lessons, it came together so fast I didn’t even stress about getting dinner on the table on time. Only change I made was using half and half instead of heavy cream because that’s what I had in the fridge, and it was still perfectly creamy. No complaints from anyone!
Wait, do you *have* to add the heavy cream? I’m dairy free and wondering if oat milk or coconut milk would work as a swap? Don’t want to mess up the texture!
Brought this to my office potluck today and it was the first dish gone! I kept it warm in a crockpot and set out little toppings: croutons, parmesan, basil, red pepper flakes, so people could customize their bowls. Everyone was raving about it, even the people who say they ‘don’t like tomato soup’. Total win.
This recipe is idiot-proof, trust me. I’ve burned toast before, but this turned out perfect on the first try. The balance of tangy tomato and rich cream is spot on, I didn’t even need to add extra salt or pepper. Pair with a melty grilled cheese and you’ve got the perfect cold weather meal.
Is it weird that I ate this for breakfast this morning? We had leftover soup from last night’s dinner and I couldn’t resist, it’s just that good. Warm, cozy, exactly what I needed on this gross, rainy Chicago morning.
I added a handful of roasted red peppers from a jar when I blended the soup and it added such a nice, smoky depth of flavor. Highly recommend trying that if you have some hanging out in your pantry! It made the soup feel extra fancy without any extra work.
As someone who’s been making vegan tomato soup for years, I was shocked how well the coconut milk swap worked here. The recipe is written super clearly, no weird hard-to-find ingredients, and it’s so easy to tweak for different dietary needs. Will be sharing this with all my vegan friends!
Perfect post-hike meal! I made a batch before heading out on a cold morning hike last weekend, and it was so nice to come home to a warm bowl of soup that was ready to reheat. It’s hearty enough to fill you up after being outside all morning, but not so heavy that you feel sluggish afterwards.
Great flavor, but I had a little trouble when I transferred the hot soup to my blender to blend it—make sure you vent the lid so it doesn’t splatter everywhere! I learned that the hard way and got soup all over my kitchen counter. Other than that mishap (totally my fault), the soup was delicious.