Lunch · American

Creamy Tomato Soup

Name: Creamy Tomato Soup
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 medium yellow onion, diced; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp smoked paprika, optional but good; 2 cans (28 oz / 794 g total) whole peeled tomatoes; 1.5 cups (360 ml) vegetable or chicken broth; 1 tsp sugar; 0.75 tsp salt, plus more to taste; 0.25 tsp black pepper; 0.33 cup (80 ml) heavy cream; Fresh basil leaves, to finish

Canned tomato soup from a red and white carton is a memory, not a meal. This version takes the same 30 minutes as heating the carton plus making grilled cheese, and produces a soup with actual depth: sweet roasted flavor, a little garlic, cream swirled in at the end, and basil that makes the whole kitchen smell like August.

The depth comes from two quiet tricks. Tomato paste gets cooked in the pot until it darkens and smells sweet, which builds the roasted flavor in minutes instead of an hour in the oven. And a pinch of sugar balances the acid of canned tomatoes, which is the difference between bright soup and sour soup.

Blend it smooth or leave it rustic, both are correct. What matters is finishing it off the heat with cream, because boiling cream in tomato soup can make it grainy, and life is too short for grainy tomato soup.

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By the TasteBoard team. Timed in a home kitchen, with total time added up and safe temperatures checked.

YES; creamy orange tomato soup in a teal-rimmed bowl, home kitchen

Photo: @Unknown / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

30 min promise: 30 min total
Prep: 8 min
Cook: 22 min
Total: 30 min
Servings: 4
Course: Lunch
Calories, about: 220 per serving

Ready in 30 min, honestly. No hidden waiting.

Instructions

1Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion 4 to 5 minutes, until soft and translucent, then add the garlic for 30 seconds.
2Add the tomato paste and smoked paprika and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. The paste should darken a shade and smell sweet and roasted. This step is the whole flavor foundation, so do not rush it.
3Pour in the tomatoes with their juices, crushing them against the pot with your spoon, then the broth, sugar, salt, and pepper.
4Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until slightly thickened and the raw tomato taste is gone.
5Blend smooth with an immersion blender right in the pot, or carefully in batches in a countertop blender, venting the lid and covering it with a towel. Hot soup in a sealed blender will erupt.
6Off the heat, stir in the cream. Taste for salt, and serve with torn basil over each bowl.

Tap a step to mark it done, saved on this device only. Timer buttons count down right here and beep when time is up.

Why you will love it

30 minutes, one pot, and pantry ingredients you already have.
Tastes slow roasted without ever turning on the oven.
Vegetarian and gluten free as written, with easy vegan and dairy free swaps.
Pairs with grilled cheese the way peanut butter pairs with jelly.
Freezes beautifully, so a batch means future easy lunches.

Tips

Whole peeled tomatoes beat diced for texture and flavor here; they break down silkier when blended.
The sugar is not optional in my kitchen. Canned tomatoes vary in acidity, and the sugar is what turns sharp soup into balanced soup.
Vent the blender lid and start slow. Soup burns are the most common blender injury, and a towel over the lid protects you.
For a thicker soup, simmer 5 minutes longer before blending; it reduces fast once smooth.

Swaps and variations

Roasted tomato version: what changes: roast 2 lb fresh tomatoes, an onion, and garlic at 400 F (204 C) for 35 minutes first. Deeper flavor, an extra 40 minutes.
Vegan: what changes: full fat coconut milk or cashew cream instead of heavy cream, and vegetable broth. Coconut adds a faint sweetness that works with basil.
Spicy: what changes: 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes with the paprika, or a chipotle in adobo blended in.
Tomato basil bisque: what changes: add 0.25 cup more cream and blend the basil into the soup instead of garnishing.

What to serve

Crispy grilled cheese, cut in triangles for dunking, which is the official pairing.
Garlic bread or a crusty baguette, for the dunking second option.
A simple green salad, when the lunch needs a vegetable that is not tomato.

Storage and reheating

Fridge: 4 days in a sealed container. Reheat gently on the stove over medium low, stirring, until steaming; do not boil hard once the cream is in. Freezer: up to 3 months, and for best texture freeze before adding the cream, then stir it in fresh when reheating. This soup actually tastes deeper on day two, so making it ahead is a feature.

Calories shown are an estimate from standard ingredients, not medical advice. Brands and amounts change the number.

Questions cooks actually ask

Can I use fresh tomatoes?

Yes, about 3 lb ripe ones, cored and quartered, simmered 10 minutes longer to break down before blending. In winter, canned taste better than out of season fresh, which is one of the food world's open secrets.

Can I make it without a blender?

Yes, simmer uncovered 20 minutes and crush the tomatoes well with a spoon or potato masher for a rustic soup. Or pass it through a food mill. It will be chunkier but just as flavorful.

Why did my soup curdle when I added cream?

The soup was boiling or the cream was cold from the fridge. Take the pot off the heat, stir in room temperature cream, and keep reheats gentle. If it does curdle, a 30 second blitz with the immersion blender usually brings it back together.

Is this soup healthy?

At about 220 calories a bowl with real tomatoes, olive oil, and cream, it is an honest lunch. The lycopene in cooked tomatoes is more available to your body than in raw ones, so this is one comfort food with actual nutritional bragging rights.

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Creamy Tomato Soup

Instructions

Why you will love it

Tips

Swaps and variations

What to serve

Storage and reheating

Questions cooks actually ask

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Keep exploring

All lunch recipes

American recipes

Vegetarian recipes

Gluten free recipes

Weeknight recipes

Winter recipes