This Creamy Tomato Soup is easy, comforting, and has a rich flavor profile. Watch the easy video tutorial and you’ll be craving a bowl of tomato soup paired with a gooey Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
You can make this tomato soup creamy or chunky if you prefer, but we love creamy soup recipes from Creamy Sweet Potato Soup to our velvety Carrot Soup and definitely Creamy Potato Soup.
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My husband never loved tomato soup until he tried this Creamy Tomato Soup. The addition of parmesan and just 1/2 cup of cream makes it so satisfying. It’s also a quick and easy 30-minute soup that keeps well in the fridge. We love it all year round and whip up a batch any time we are craving Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.
Tomato Soup Video Tutorial
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Ingredients for Tomato Basil Soup
Since this is a tomato-based soup, it is important to offset the acidity with some key ingredients. We use a combination of cream, parmesan, and a little sugar to balance the soup.
- Butter – use unsalted butter to sautee onions
- Yellow onion – it seems like a ton of onion but it dissapears into the soup adding a balanced sweetness
- Garlic – you’ll need 1 Tbsp minced from about 3 cloves
- Crushed tomatoes – with their juice, preferably San Marzano tomatoes
- Chicken stock – for the best flavor use homemade chicken broth
- Basil – chop and add 1/4 cup fresh basil, plus more to serve. Basil leaves are easily bruised so chop by stacking a bunch of leaves then roll them into a log and cut into thin strips.
- Sugar – It’s just 1 Tbsp, but necessary to combat the tomato acidity.
- Black pepper – start with 1/2 tsp and add more to taste
- Whipping cream – adds a creaminess to the soup and offsets acidity.
- Parmesan cheese – adds saltiness to the soup and balances acidity. Adding parmesan adds enough salt and I usually don’t add more.
How to Make Tomato Soup
- Saute Aromatics – heat a non-reactive pot over medium heat. Melt in 4 Tbsp butter then sautee onions until softened and golden (10-12 min). Add minced garlic and saute another minute.
- Make the tomato soup base – stir in two 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes with their juice, your chicken stock, chopped basil, sugar and black pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, partially cover and simmer 10 minutes.
- Blend if desired – use an immersion blender in the pot or blend in batches using a blender (be careful not to overfill the blender with hot liquid) and return soup to the pot.
- Add cream and parmesan – stir in the heavy cream and shredded parmesan. Return to a simmer and season to taste if needed.
- Serve – ladle into warm bowls and garnish with more parmesan and basil.
Pro Tip: If you prefer a chunky soup with bits of tomato (like our Broccoli Cheese Soup), you can skip the blending step and proceed with adding cream and parmesan then season to taste.
Important: Use a Non-Reactive Pot
Since this soup is tomato-based it is important to use a non-reactive pot. Avoid aluminum, cast iron, and copper which are all made of metals that can react with tomatoes and make the soup taste metallic.
Non-reactive pots that work well include: Stainless steel, enamel-coated cast iron, ceramic, and glass. We used our 5 1/2 Qt enamel-coated dutch oven pot.
Common Questions
You can use canned whole peeled tomatoes, but crush them by pulsing in a food processor before adding to the pot. Be sure to season to taste if substituting.
You can substitute the fresh basil with about 1 Tbsp of dried basil for the soup. I suggest adding dried basil when you add the crushed tomatoes to give them a chance to soften. Dried herbs work great in soups, but should not be used for garnish.
You’ll need to make your own crushed tomatoes which can be a time-consuming process. We find it is much simpler to buy crushed tomatoes.
We love chicken bone broth because it has a great depth of flavor, but you can substitute it with vegetable broth to keep this a vegetarian soup.
Make sure you aren’t using a reactive pot (see above) and add more sugar and cream to taste to balance the acidity.
How to Serve Tomato Soup
- Grilled Cheese – tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches are the perfect match (try dipping the sandwich into the soup).
- Parmesan – add shredded parmesan while the soup is hot so it melts over the top.
- Fresh Basil – sprinkle the top with thinly sliced basil.
- Croutons – sprinkle crunchy croutons over the soup.
- Toast – simple toasted bread or crostini (like we made for Bruschetta) are great for dunking into the soup.
More Comforting Soups
If you love this Tomato Soup, then you won’t want to miss these cozy soup recipes from our easy Chicken Noodle Soup to luxurious Beef Stew. There’s something here for everyone.
Creamy Tomato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 yellow onions, (3 cups finely chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves, (1 Tbsp minced)
- 56 oz crushed tomatoes, (two, 28-oz cans) with their juice, preferably San Marzano
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more to serve
- 1 Tbsp sugar, or added to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, or to taste to combat acidity
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus more to serve
Instructions
- Heat a nonreactive pot or enameled dutch oven over medium heat. Add butter then add chopped onions. Sauté 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden. Add minced garlic and sauté 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add crushed tomatoes with their juice, chicken stock, chopped basil, sugar (or add sugar to taste), and black pepper. Stir together and bring to a boil then reduce heat, partially cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
- You can leave your soup with a chunky consistency, but if you like a blended/creamy soup, use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot to desired consistency or transfer to a blender in batches and blend until smooth (being careful not to over-fill the blender with hot liquid and pulse a few times initially to get it started), then return blended soup to the pot over medium heat.
- Add 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese and return to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed and turn off the heat.*
- Ladle into warm bowls and top with more parmesan and chopped fresh basil.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Wonderful receipe, serving this with grilled cheese sandwich for my elderly parents, they will love!!!
The best combination! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kathryn!
Love the tomato soup and all your recipes Thank you Natacha for sharing
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Theresa!
To avoid splattering with the immersion blender – blend in small circles, all one level. Do not go up and down at all, that’s what makes the splatters.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Sue!
Hi, Sue! Another post on another site mentioned an additional technique for using the stick blender – to tilt it a bit sideways (which is how I do it) but keep it under the liquid. I get *no* splatters with that method combined with yours about making circles while you blend!
Can I ask a question can I substitute chicken broth with beef broth
Hi Jody, I think that would work too. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
I searched for the grilled sandwich but couldn’t find it
Hi Jody, I don’t have a recipe for a grilled cheese sandwich at this time. I hope you love this Tomato Soup recipe!
Can you make the trend pasta chips and love all you recipes
Hi Jody, thanks for your suggestion. I’ll try to add that to our list.
Is there a substitute for the heavy cream? My daughter in law can’t have any milk product … Thank you
Hi Thomas, I haven’t tried any other substitute before so I can’t give any other suggestion. If anyone could suggest what to substitute, please reply to this comment.
Try coconut milk. It adds a nice subtle flavor that doesn’t taste like a coconut. Earthy/nutty like.
I used oat milk..very mild flavor and it turned out great! Hope this helps!
Hi Natasha, I was so excited to make this soup because your recipes are always a hit in my family. But this soup turned out sooo sour! I don’t know if you used a special brand of crushed tomatoes that are not so sour. I had to put so much sugar in it to offset the acidity, but it didn’t seem to make any difference. I wanted to love this soup, but my family all said to not make it again. I followed your recipe exactly.
Hi Yuliya, the brand that I used is photographed in the post, and some brands can seem more acidic. Also it is very important not to use a reactive pot (please see ore on that in the post above). Also, make sure to add the cream and parmesan to help offset the acidity. I would add more cream to combat excessive tomato acidity without having to add too much sugar. I hope that helps.
mine turned out the same and I used a Dutch oven. I was worried to add too much cream and sugar and hide the tomatoe taste. Maybe I will add more broth next time.
My daughter has a dairy allergy what would be a good substitute for the cream? We love all your recipes!!!
Hi Michele, to make a dairy-free tomato soup, you might try substituting it with full-fat coconut milk.
Looks delicious!!How long will this keep in the refrigerator? Can it be frozen?
Hi Lauri, it will last a couple of days in the fridge.
Very good recipe! Had to add some salt
Hi Adriana, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I hope you saw my note to add salt to taste at the end. I didn’t think it needed any with the cheese, but it can depend on a number of factors such as whether or not you used low sodium chicken stock.
Can you use fresh garden tomatoes
Hi Sharon, please see the “common questions” section. I hope you love the tomato soup!
I’d love to make this recipe with fresh tomatoes. How will the process be?
Hi Sandra, please see the “common questions” section above.
hi! can i replace the heavy cream with milk? thanks!
Hi Jean, you can but add it to taste since the fat in the cream also helps to offset some of the acidity in the soup.
So glad you posted this- looks so delicious and I needed a good tomato soup recipe. Can’t wait for the grilled cheese recipe!
Oh that grilled cheese is seriously amazing. It will be worth the wait.
Looks delicious can’t wait to make this! Is there a link for your grilled cheese recipe in the article as well? 🙂
Hi Karyn, I don’t have a recipe for a grilled cheese sandwich at this time. I hope you love this Tomato Soup recipe!
So delish! And super easy to make….perfect for back to school.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Kellie!
I could eat tomato soup all year long! Your recipe is easy to make & tastes wonderful!!
Same here, Natalie we love tomato soup!
Great recipe Natasha. For those who go sugar free, you can tame the acidity with a pinch or two of baking soda to taste. This comes from an old English recipe where you just bring either fresh or canned tomatoes (mashed up) to a boil then add a teaspoon of baking soda, salt and pepper. Add whole milk and bring back to eating temperature and serve. Simple, and quite delicious — and even better with cream and soda biscuits. Thank you and your husband for your hard work great videos.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This was sooooo creamy and delicious – total comfort food!
The best comfort soup! I’m happy you loved it!
Hi. I couldn’t find the recipe for the grilled cheese sandwich on your blog.
Hi Jolanta, I don’t have a recipe for a grilled cheese sandwich at this time.
The best tomato soup. Creamy and delicious. My Husband loves tomato soup but has hypertension so we have to stay away from canned soup’s. I
used no sodium chicken broth and it was still very delicious.
Jerri
I’m so glad you found my recipe, Jerri!
Grilled cheese is so easy to make. Butter one side of 2 slices of bread I like American or Swiss or a slice of each. My husband likes pepper jack. Sometimes I add a couple of thin slices of tomato. Have a non-stick or cast-iron skillet. Place one slice of bread butter side down on the heated pan, add your cheese slice(s). Place the other slice of bread butter side up on top of the cheese. Watch carefully so that your bread does not burn. Once toasted on the side that is down (take a peek with a spatula) carefully turn it over and toast the other side. Remove and enjoy. I like cutting mine into 4 triangular pieces.