Creamy Tomato Soup (Velvety, From Canned Tomatoes, 35 Minutes)

Creamy tomato soup is a grilled cheese’s best friend and a fall dinner in its own right. This one starts with canned San Marzano tomatoes, which taste better than most fresh tomatoes once October arrives, and builds flavor with butter, onion, garlic and a spoonful of tomato paste.

A short roast of the tomato paste in the pot, a pinch of sugar and a splash of cream turn a can of tomatoes into something velvety and deep. It takes about 35 minutes start to finish.

Fresh basil at the end is the finishing touch, but the soup is good without it. It freezes well, reheats well and tastes far better than anything from a carton.

Why this recipe works

• Canned whole San Marzano tomatoes are consistently sweet and low in acid, which matters more than fresh in cool weather.
• Cooking the tomato paste in butter for 2 minutes caramelizes its sugars and gives the soup a roasted depth.
• A small amount of flour keeps the cream from separating and gives the soup a silkier body.
• A pinch of baking soda neutralizes excess acidity so the cream stays smooth.
• Blending fully and then simmering briefly with the cream gives a texture like a restaurant bisque.
• A finish of basil and a drizzle of olive oil makes it taste fresh despite coming mostly from cans.

Ingredients you’ll need

Whole peeled tomatoes. Two 28 ounce cans, San Marzano or another good quality whole tomato. Whole tomatoes are usually a better grade than diced and have a purer flavor.

Butter and olive oil. Three tablespoons of butter for richness and a tablespoon of olive oil for flavor. Together they soften the onion without browning too fast.

Onion, garlic and carrot. One large yellow onion, four cloves of garlic and one carrot finely grated. The carrot adds sweetness so you need less sugar.

Tomato paste. Two tablespoons, cooked until it darkens. This is where a lot of the deep tomato flavor comes from.

Flour. Two tablespoons of all purpose flour to stabilize the cream and add body.

Broth. Two cups of low sodium chicken or vegetable broth.

Heavy cream. Three quarters of a cup stirred in at the end. Half and half works for a lighter soup.

Seasonings. A teaspoon of sugar, a quarter teaspoon of baking soda, a teaspoon of dried oregano, a bay leaf, salt, pepper and a big handful of fresh basil.

Ingredient notes and smart substitutions

Canned tomatoes

Two 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes work and skip the blending step if you want a more rustic texture. Fire roasted diced tomatoes add smokiness. In summer, use 4 pounds of ripe fresh tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped, and simmer 10 minutes longer to break them down.

Heavy cream

Half and half gives a lighter soup with the same amount. Full fat coconut milk makes it dairy free and pairs surprisingly well with tomato. Plain Greek yogurt can be whisked into individual bowls but will curdle if added to the hot pot.

Flour

Skip the flour for a gluten free soup. The soup will be slightly thinner and the cream slightly more prone to separating, so keep the heat low after adding it. A tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water can be simmered in for 2 minutes instead.

Sugar and baking soda

The baking soda is a small trick that neutralizes acid so the cream does not curdle. If you skip it, use 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar and add the cream with the heat off. A tablespoon of honey replaces the sugar.

Fresh basil

Use 1 teaspoon of dried basil added with the oregano, or finish with fresh parsley and a little lemon zest. Pesto stirred into each bowl is another good finish.

Broth

Water works in place of broth in this soup since the tomatoes carry so much flavor. Add an extra 1/4 teaspoon of salt to compensate.

How to make it

1. Soften the aromatics

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot with a pinch of salt and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft and just starting to color. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

2. Roast the tomato paste

Add the tomato paste and stir it constantly for 2 minutes. It will darken from bright red to brick red and smell sweet. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute more to cook out the raw taste.

3. Add the tomatoes and broth

Pour in both cans of tomatoes with their juices, crushing the tomatoes with your hands or a spoon as you add them. Add the broth, oregano, bay leaf, sugar, baking soda, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. The baking soda will fizz for a moment. That is normal.

4. Simmer

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The tomatoes will break down and the flavors will concentrate. Remove the bay leaf.

5. Blend until smooth

Turn off the heat. Blend with an immersion blender for a full 2 minutes, moving around the pot, until completely smooth. For an ultra silky bisque, pass it through a fine mesh strainer after blending. In a countertop blender, work in batches and fill the jar no more than halfway.

6. Add the cream and basil

Return the pot to low heat. Stir in the cream and warm gently for 3 to 5 minutes without boiling. Tear the basil and stir it in. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and sugar. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil or a swirl of cream.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

The cream curdled. The soup was too acidic or boiled after the cream went in. The baking soda prevents this, but if it happens, blend the soup again with an immersion blender and keep the heat at a bare simmer.

The soup tastes tinny or sharp. Lower quality canned tomatoes are the cause. Add another 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and a tablespoon of butter. A parmesan rind simmered in the pot also rounds off the edges.

The soup is too thin. Simmer uncovered for another 10 minutes before adding the cream. Or blend in a slice of stale bread, which is how classic pappa al pomodoro gets its body.

It tastes flat. Salt first. Tomato soup needs more salt than people expect. Then try a teaspoon of red wine vinegar or a squeeze of lemon to wake it up.

It is grainy. Blend longer. Tomato skins and seeds need a full 2 minutes to break down. Straining through a fine mesh sieve solves it completely.

Timing and make ahead plan

Dice the onion, grate the carrot and mince the garlic up to 2 days ahead. With prep done, the soup is on the table in 30 minutes.

The soup can be made completely up to 4 days ahead. Reheat gently over low heat. Add the basil fresh when serving since it darkens in the fridge.

For the best freezer results, make the soup through the blending step and freeze without cream. Add cream and basil after reheating.

Grilled cheese can be assembled ahead and griddled while the soup reheats. Butter the outsides of the bread and keep the sandwiches on a plate in the fridge for up to 4 hours.

Tips for the best creamy tomato soup

Buy good tomatoes. San Marzano or another whole peeled tomato in juice, not puree, gives the cleanest flavor. Check the label for tomatoes and juice only.

Cook the onion longer than feels necessary. Very soft, sweet onion is the foundation of a smooth soup with no bite.

Do not rush the tomato paste. Two full minutes of stirring turns it from sharp to sweet and deep.

Blend thoroughly. A full 2 minutes with an immersion blender is what turns chunky tomato soup into creamy tomato soup, even before the cream goes in.

Finish with fat and freshness. A swirl of cream or olive oil and a few torn basil leaves make the bowl look and taste finished.

Taste at the very end, not before the cream goes in. Cream softens both salt and acidity, so a soup that seemed balanced before it can taste flat after. Adjust once everything is in the pot.

Warm the bowls if you can. A thin soup like this cools quickly, and a hot bowl keeps it steaming through the whole meal.

Variations

Roasted tomato soup. Drain the canned tomatoes and roast them on a sheet pan at 425°F for 25 minutes with the onion and garlic before proceeding. It adds a caramelized depth.

Tomato basil parmesan. Simmer a parmesan rind in the soup and stir 1/2 cup of grated parmesan into the finished pot along with the cream. Double the basil.

Spicy tomato soup. Add 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes with the garlic and finish with a drizzle of chili oil.

Tomato tortellini soup. Thin the finished soup with 1 cup of broth and add 9 ounces of fresh cheese tortellini. Simmer 5 minutes until tender. It becomes a full meal, in the same spirit as our Italian wedding soup.

Slow cooker version. Cook the aromatics and tomato paste on the stove, then transfer everything except the cream and basil to a slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2 hours, blend, then stir in the cream and basil.

Equipment that makes this easier

A heavy 5 or 6 quart pot or Dutch oven. Tomato soup catches on thin pots.

An immersion blender. It turns blending into a 2 minute job with no transfers. A countertop blender works but requires batches and care with hot liquid.

A fine mesh strainer for a bisque smooth texture, and a ladle with a pouring lip for filling bowls neatly. A box grater for the carrot.

Scaling up or down

To halve the recipe, use one 28 ounce can and a 3 quart saucepan. Cut everything else in half and keep the timing the same. Use a scant 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda.

Doubling needs an 8 quart pot. Cook the onions a couple of minutes longer since the larger volume softens more slowly. Simmer 25 minutes instead of 20 and blend in batches if using a countertop blender.

As written, the soup makes about 8 cups, or six 1 1/3 cup servings. As a starter it serves eight in cups.

What to serve with it

Grilled cheese is the obvious answer and the right one. Sharp cheddar on sourdough, griddled in butter until deeply golden, is hard to improve on. Cut it into strips for dunking.

For something a little different, serve cups of soup alongside a wedge of classic lasagna for an Italian night, or with garlic bread and a Caesar salad.

Our fall side dishes roundup has a cheesy garlic pull apart bread that was practically designed for dunking in tomato soup.

How to store, freeze and reheat

Refrigerator. Cool within 2 hours and store in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Glass is better than plastic, which tomato stains.

Freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months in 2 cup portions. The soup freezes best without the cream, but soup frozen with cream is still good. Blend it briefly after reheating if it looks separated.

Reheating. Warm gently over medium low, stirring often, until it reaches 165°F. Do not boil once the cream is in. In the microwave, cover loosely and heat in 90 second bursts at 70 percent power, stirring between each.

Leftover ideas

Reduce a cup of leftover soup in a skillet for 5 minutes and toss with cooked pasta and parmesan for a fast creamy tomato pasta.

Use it as the sauce base for a quick shakshuka. Warm the soup in a skillet, crack in eggs, cover and cook until the whites set.

Spoon thick, cold soup onto a flatbread or pizza dough as the sauce. It is richer than plain pizza sauce and works especially well with mozzarella and basil.

Stir a cup into a pot of cooked rice with a can of drained white beans and a handful of spinach for a five minute tomato rice bowl.

Nutrition notes

A 1 1/3 cup serving with heavy cream lands roughly in the 220 to 270 calorie range with 4 to 6 grams of protein, 15 to 18 grams of fat and 18 to 22 grams of carbohydrates. These are estimates and vary with your tomatoes, broth and cream.

Using half and half saves about 50 calories per serving. Leaving out the cream entirely and finishing with a drizzle of olive oil drops each bowl closer to 150 calories and makes it vegan with vegetable broth.

Frequently asked questions

Why did the cream curdle in my tomato soup?

Tomatoes are acidic, and acid plus high heat makes cream separate. A pinch of baking soda neutralizes the acid, and keeping the soup at a bare simmer after adding cream prevents curdling. If it happens, blend the soup again.

Can I use fresh tomatoes for creamy tomato soup?

Yes, in peak season. Use about 4 pounds of ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped, and simmer 10 minutes longer. Canned San Marzano tomatoes are more reliable in fall and winter.

How do I make tomato soup less acidic?

A quarter teaspoon of baking soda, a teaspoon of sugar and a tablespoon of butter all soften acidity. Grated carrot cooked with the onion adds natural sweetness too.

Can I freeze creamy tomato soup?

Yes, for up to 3 months. It freezes best before the cream is added. Thaw overnight, reheat to 165°F and stir in the cream and fresh basil.

What is the difference between tomato soup and tomato bisque?

Bisque is traditionally a smooth, strained soup enriched with cream. This recipe becomes a bisque if you strain it through a fine mesh sieve after blending.

Can I make creamy tomato soup without a blender?

Yes. Use crushed tomatoes instead of whole and mash any large pieces with a potato masher. The texture will be more rustic but still creamy once the cream goes in.