Easy Tomato Soup Recipe

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.

Creamy tomato soup served with grilled cheese sandwich

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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.

Ingredients homemade tomato soup with crushed tomatoes

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.

Tomato basil soup cooked in dutch oven nonreactive pot

Common Questions

Can I substitute canned whole tomatoes?

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.

Can I use dried basil?

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.

Can I use fresh tomatoes?

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.

What stock do you use for tomato soup?

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.

What if my soup is too sour or acidic?

Make sure you aren’t using a reactive pot (see above) and add more sugar and cream to taste to balance the acidity.

Bowl of creamy tomato soup garnished with parmesan and basil

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.

Serving tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich

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.

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.