Tomato Soup
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A pot of homemade tomato soup is always a good idea—especially when there’s a grilled cheese sandwich waiting on the side.
This tomato soup recipe is my go-to during the chilly fall and winter months when fresh tomatoes are out of season. It comes together with canned tomatoes and pantry staples, but the finished soup tastes far fresher than you’d expect. Instead of relying on cream, the tomatoes are blended until silky on their own. One little trick I always use is adding a pinch of sugar. It might seem unconventional, but it helps balance the tomatoes’ natural acidity.
For serving, garnish the soup with store-bought or homemade croutons, fresh basil, and a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. If you’re in the mood for something heartier, pair it with stromboli or grilled cheese—or for a fun twist, try grilled cheese croutons!
For more classic Italian soups, be sure to try my minestrone, pasta fagioli and zuppa Toscana—all hearty favorites.
“This was a great recipe…enough like the tomato soup of my childhood to be comforting, but MUCH better and fresher!”
What You’ll Need To Make Tomato Soup
To make the tomato soup, you’ll need olive oil, unsalted butter, onions, garlic, all-purpose flour, chicken broth, canned whole peeled tomatoes, sugar, dried thyme, and fresh basil.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Sauté the aromatics. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook a few minutes more, being careful not to let it brown.
Step 2: Add the flour. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, to remove the raw taste and prevent lumps.
Step 3: Simmer the soup. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, sugar, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to loosen any flour from the bottom or sides of the pot. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Purée. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. If using a regular blender, let the soup cool slightly, then purée in batches with the lid vented. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.
Pro Tip: If you prefer more texture in your soup, feel free to either skip this step or only partially purée it.
Step 5: Finish with butter. Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter for added richness and flavor.
Step 6: Garnish and serve. Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Video Tutorial
More Comforting Soups You’ll Love
Classic Tomato Soup
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 3 medium yellow onions, chopped (about 3½ cups)
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 (28-oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For Serving (Optional)
- Fresh chopped basil
- Croutons
- Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
- In a large nonreactive pot (see note), heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted, add the onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Do not brown; reduce heat if necessary. Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes more, stirring to be sure garlic does not burn. Add the flour and continue cooking and stirring for 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, sugar, thyme, 1¼ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat while stirring to make sure that the flour is not sticking to the bottom or sides of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer for about 40 minutes.
- Using a hand-held immersion blender, purée the soup until very smooth. (Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and purée in batches in a blender. Be sure to crack the lid or remove the center cap to allow steam to escape.) Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fresh basil, croutons, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, if desired. (Nutritional information below does not include optional garnishes.)
Notes
- A nonreactive pot is made of a material that will not react negatively with acids. Glass, stainless steel, or enameled pots are all safe to use. Nonstick pots are also okay, but be sure there are no scratches in the non-stick coating.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Excellent and easy recipe! This soup can be assembled the minute the tomato soup urge hits.
I once made this recipe by also adding a few cold, leftover Roma tomatoes that had been earlier halved and roasted until soft with some balsamic vinegar. Blitz it all together. That was a great way to use a few leftover tomatoes, too, for a lovely roasted tomato flavor.
Hi Jenn,
Here’s a little ‘cheat’ that I’ve recently begun to use.
I’ve made homemade chicken stock twice, but I’m really not into it.
I recently began caring for my elderly mom who has always enjoyed Mrs. Grass’ noodle soup. While making this soup for her I realized that the broth (with the little “golden flavor nugget”) tastes the same or better than boxed broths.
Now, when I make soup that calls for broth, I make the Mrs. Grass’. There are two boxes of soup per package, I use five cups of water instead of four per box (less salty) and it works perfectly.
For less then $2.00 you get 8-10 cups of broth and it’s less bulky and easy to keep on hand.
Made this for my husband, he’s in heaven. He loves Tomato soup and this one is winner!! Love all the recipies here, my favorite go to recipe site.
Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of canned/boxed ones? If yes, then how many lbs. of fresh tomatoes?
Hi Mindy, Yes but you’ll need to peel them. I would use about 3 pounds. Please let me know how it turns out 🙂
So I just want to start by saying I just underwent bariatric surgery, the gastric sleeve to be exact. For the first two weeks I need to pretty much drink nothing but soups, liquids etc and was getting bored with quick chicken broth from cubes. I also HATE tomato soup, but loved the one I had at the hospital so figured maybe I hated canned tomato soup as that’s all I have ever tasted. I of course came to this site to see if there was a soup I could modify a bit to fit my dietary needs.
I used all the ingredients except one but cut most of them in half to reduce the amount of sodium and acidity. I used three 14.5 oz. cans of petite cut tomatoes (no salt added) by Del Monte, I cut the salt in half but doubled the pepper. I also used just 2 tbsp of butter, 3 cups of yellow onions (my eyes were burning and i refused to chop anymore), 1/8 c of flour, 1 tbsp of sugar, added two cups of water to the broth and replaced thyme with basil because I didn’t have it.
I figured I removed just enough acidity and sodium so that it would be easy on my stomach without hindering the flavor.
IT WAS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!! My 11 year old son insisted he did not like it but I served him a small bowl with a pinch of cheddar cheese and of course a grilled cheese sandwich He started by dipping his sandwich in the soup and later put the sandwich down. Needless to say he returned the bowl EMPTY.
Now I have enough to last me 2 days. Which is great as I was bored of plain chicken broth. I am excited to try another soup recipe I could modify a bit to fit my diet. (= Thanks again Jenn for another hit!!!!
I love all your recipes that I tried.
I want to make the Classic Tomato Soup.
Can I use FRESH tomatoes instead of boxed Pomi)?
Thank you for your wonderful recipes.
Hi Renee, Yes that would be fine. Glad you are enjoying the recipes!
I heard about your blog in January when my mother in law was sent to the Pallative Care Ward. She couldn’t eat anything that wasn’t puréed and was losing her enjoyment of food due to lack of variety.
I made several of your soups for her, starting with this one. I reduced the sugar to 1 Tbsp by mistake and it was still fabulous. I left out the garnish but followed the directions otherwise.
I love that it’s not a cream of tomato soup so this has become my new go-to tomato soup. Delicious, healthier and more affordable than canned soups.
Thank you so much for posting all your recipes! 🙂 I tried the tomato soup & it was really delicious. I feel your site has been a God send as I am taking radiation treatment for cervix cancer & I lost my appetite, but thanks to your good soups I can enjoy some good meals every day.
Best Regards Darlene
Oh my gosh this soup is soooo good! I’m a skeptic but now reformed. This is the 3rd soup I’ve made and they’re ALL delicious. How many stars can I give this one?
My daughter made some fresh croutons with garlic infused olive oil and we enjoyed. Thank you.
My son needed a soup recipe for a cookery lesson at school so we browsed the selection here and settled on this recipe. Considering he’s a bit of a novice the soup turned out amazing. Took a bit of work trying to convert some of the measures into what we are more familiar with in the UK, but it all turned out lovely.