Food & Cooking Recipes Soups, Stews & Stocks Soup Recipes Creamy Tomato Soup 4.0 (316) 15 Reviews Quick and easy to make, this soup is also comforting any time of year. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 20, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Servings: 6 Jump to recipe Simple and satisfying, our creamy tomato soup is a lesson in how easy yet delicious home cooking can be. The recipe is adapted from the book Martha Stewart's Cooking School, and it's made with five ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen: butter, onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, and stock or water. Heavy cream is optional for serving. The soup comes together in less than half an hour and is a recipe you'll want to add to your regular rotation. It's just right for a workday lunch or a quick, cozy dinner—and it's even better when it's paired with its longtime partner, the grilled cheese sandwich. However you enjoy it, this soup is pure comfort in a bowl. Brie Goldman 26 Quick Soup Recipes That Are Ready in 45 Minutes or Less The Best Canned Tomatoes to Use for Tomato Soup Our creamy tomato soup calls for whole peeled tomatoes. This is the main and most important ingredient in the soup, which has just a few ingredients—so the flavor of the tomatoes has a moment to shine. We prefer to use canned whole peeled tomatoes, not crushed or diced canned tomatoes; we find the quality and flavor of the former to be superior. You might think starting with already crushed or pureed tomatoes is a shortcut—no blender to wash—but we don't agree. We prefer whole canned tomatoes, which have only salt added. Canned whole tomatoes are the most versatile canned tomato product; they can do anything other canned tomatoes can (pun intended!) if you chop, crush, or puree them. Often, crushed or diced tomatoes have tomato puree or other tomato products added to them, altering their original flavor and including a high sodium content. Some brands are better than others; try a few to see which ones you prefer. What to Serve With Creamy Tomato Soup Enhance your soup by pairing it with one of these dishes: Grilled cheese sandwich (it's a classic pairing for good reason) Crusty bread, like a baguette, with creamy, spreadable cheese and some fresh basil (and some ham, too!) Avocado toast BLT sandwich Mozzarella sticks (homemade or store-bought) Chicken quesadilla Tuna sandwich Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 onion, coarsely chopped 1 to 2 cloves garlic (optional) 2 (14-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 1 ½ cups Basic Chicken Stock, or water ½ cup heavy cream (optional) Directions Brie Goldman Melt butter and cook onion and garlic: Melt butter in a medium stockpot over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic (if using), stirring constantly, until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Brie Goldman Add tomatoes, juices, and stock, and simmer: Add tomatoes, their juices, and stock. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Brie Goldman Puree soup in batches: Working in batches, transfer tomato mixture to a blender, food processor, or food mill. Puree tomato mixture (if using a blender, cover the lid with a kitchen towel while machine is running). Brie Goldman Return soup to pan and warm: Return soup to a clean pot and set over low heat. Brie Goldman Whisk in cream, season, and serve: Whisk in cream, if desired; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Brie Goldman Storing Tomato Soup Transfer the soup to a bowl set over an ice-water bath to cool completely. Then transfer the cooled soup to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three days. Reheat it over medium heat until heated through and serve. Freezing To make this tomato soup more than three days ahead of when you will use it, store it in the freezer. Do not add the cream to the soup and cool it completely as directed above. Whether you freeze it in individual portions or as one entire batch of soup, be sure to leave headroom in the container as the soup will expand as it freezes. Reheating frozen soup: When you are ready to enjoy, defrost the soup overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as outlined above. Frequently Asked Questions How can you thicken tomato soup? You can thicken your tomato soup a couple of ways. First, by simmering the soup over low to medium heat until it reduces and thickens. Second, make a slurry of a small amount of water and cornstarch and slowly add this to the soup while stirring. What is the difference between tomato soup and tomato bisque? The difference between tomato soup and tomato bisque is generally that a bisque is made with cream but the definitions are not clear-cut. Bisque is a French word that describes a soup as thick and a bisque is a soup usually made with seafood and cream. However, tomato bisque does not contain seafood, only cream, and tomato soup often also contains cream. What causes the cream in tomato soup to curdle? What causes the cream in tomato soup to curdle can be if the cream is added too quickly. Tomatoes are acidic and can react to the cream. To avoid this, slowly add the cream while stirring the tomato soup. This will neutralize the acidity of the soup and avoid curdling. Other Vegetable Soup Recipes to Try Roasted-Tomato and Tarragon Soup Late-Summer Vegetable Soup Creamy Carrot, Tomato, and Ginger Soup Apple-Butternut Squash Soup Roasted Pumpkin Soup Smokey Sweet-Potato Soup Originally appeared: The Martha Stewart Show, October Fall 2008, The Martha Stewart Show, Episode 4016 Rate It PRINT