Best Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe
Wondering what to make with all those tomatoes that are ripening up in your garden? Make a batch of homemade tomato soup! This tomato soup recipe is easy to make with fresh tomatoes, and produces the best tomato soup you’ll ever taste.
My Dad’s garden-fresh tomatoes are taking over my kitchen.
I have dozens of tomatoes lining the window-sill and counter-top. The fruit bowl is over-flowing with them, and I have a basketful in the fridge. That’s always the way, right? You wait all season for your tomatoes to ripen, and then it all happens at once, and you’re scrambling to find different ways to use them before they go bad.
I was saying as much to a friend the other day, and she said she had just the thing for me: a recipe for her homemade tomato soup, which she called simply “thee best tomato soup“.
Well, I tried the tomato soup recipe this morning, and this is the legit email I sent my friend after inhaling my first bowlful at lunch today:
“OMG. I just devoured a bowl of your homemade tomato soup. Omg. omg. omg. Did I mention OMG? Forget the spoon. Give me a straw. Actually, forget the straw… after a couple of tastes and then a few frantic spoonfuls, I literally put down the spoon and just drank it directly from the bowl. Yeah, I did that. Drank it from the bowl. Best tomato soup ever. Maybe best SOUP ever. Period!”
Does that kind of give you an idea of how good this tomato soup is?
Now, I make a lot of my soups from scratch, but I’ve never been crazy about any of the homemade tomato soup recipes I’ve made from scratch in the past.
Ha! Those days are over now!
I shouldn’t be surprised. I mean, when my friend was writing out the recipe for me, she said, “this is the BEST tomato soup” about 4 time, and I was thinking “Really? Wow. Must be some soup. Maybe it’s worth a try…”
Yes. Oh yes, my friend. This tomato soup is definitely worth a try…
So without further ado, let me tell you how to make homemade tomato soup like you’ve never EVER had before!
The BEST Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe:
For your convenience, this post contains affiliate links.
To a large pot, add:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- pinch of salt
Cook over medium heat until things start to sizzle, and then cover and reduce to low until your onions are soft. Stir ’em around now and then. You don’t want to brown them. If that starts to happen, add a little water to the pot, but chances are the steam and condensation will generate enough moisture to prevent them from browning.
While your onions are steaming, gather up:
- 2 lbs tomatoes (about 10 med tomatoes)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 tbsp uncooked white rice (to thicken your soup) – I used basmati rice
- big ol’ pinch of salt
- a sprig of fresh thyme or basil (I had both in my garden, so I used some of each)
- 1/2 bay leaf (I didn’t have one, so don’t worry if you don’t either)
***And this next ingredient is optional:
*My friend’s tomato soup recipe didn’t actually call for garam masala. It’s a spice commonly used in Indian recipes. I chose to add it because the mouth-watering smell of the onions and tomatoes and butter all cooking together reminded me of the Indian butter chicken sauce that I make. I figured a dash of the classic Indian spice would add a nice rich flavour to the soup. Guess what… garam masala in tomato soup is absolutely divine.
While your onions continue to simmer:
1. Wash and core your tomatoes. Four clean slices through the tomato close to the core is how I do it.
When all the cores have been removed, you’ll have a heap of tomatoes that looks something like this. Gorgeous, aren’t they?
2. If your onions are nice and soft, slice your garlic and toss it into the pot and cook for a two minutes more.
3. Now, add the tomatoes, salt, rice, bay leaf and your fresh herbs to the pot of onions.
As I mentioned before, the rice is the thickening agent in this soup It does a good job, and it keeps the fat and calorie count down a little.
4. Cook all of this over medium heat, stirring once in a while until your tomatoes are well-cooked and break apart easily.
5. Now, you’re going to add:
- 1 cup water
- 1 more tbsp butter
- another pinch of salt
6. Cook for a few more minutes to melt the butter and to ensure that your rice is tender.
7. Take the soup off the heat and remove the bay leaf and herbs.
8. Puree it to your liking.
When I need to blend a thick and chunky soup or sauce to a smooth consistency I often use my hand-held emulsion blender, (<– that’s my Amazon affiliate link) but today, we’re using this bad boy:
My Ninja Master Prep. (US/UK/CAN) (<–Amazon affiliate link)
It’s fast, it’s powerful and it’s easy to clean. I love it.
4 or 5 pulses with the Ninja was all it took. I like my soup with a bit of texture, but if you prefer yours smooth, just blend it longer.
Then you’ll want to pour it through a sieve to get any seeds out.
And there you go. That’s all, folks.
Top it off with some homemade croutons for an extra treat, and dive in!
Pull up a chair, grab a spoon (or not!) and enjoy a bowlful of this fantastic homemade tomato soup.
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Best Homemade Tomato Soup from Garden-Fresh Tomatoes
This homemade tomato soup, made with garden fresh tomatoes, is the best tomato soup you’ll ever taste. It’s easy to make, absolutely delicious, and a great way to use up those tomatoes taking over your garden.
Servings: 7
Calories: 97kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion sliced
- pinch salt
- 2 lbs tomatoes 10 med tomatoes
- 2-3 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 tbsp uncooked white rice – I used basmati rice this is your thickening agent
- another big ol’ pinch of salt
- a sprig of fresh thyme or basil or both
- 1/2 bay leaf if you have one
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 cup water
- 1 more tbsp butter
- another pinch of salt
Instructions
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In a large pot, add butter, olive oil, onion and pinch of salt. Steam until soft (do not brown).
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While onions are steaming, wash and core your tomatoes.
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Add garlic to pot of onions and cook for 2 minutes.
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Add tomatoes, salt, rice, bay leaf, garam masala and your fresh herbs to the pot of onions.
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Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until your tomatoes are well-cooked rice is tender.
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Add the last 3 ingredients (water, butter, pinch salt) and cook until butter melts.
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Remove from heat, and take out bay leaf and herb sprigs.
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Puree to your liking.
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Strain to remove seeds.
Nutrition
Calories: 97kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 39mg | Potassium: 330mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1180IU | Vitamin C: 19.2mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Wasn’t that easy? Delicious, low-fat, healthy, tomato soup from scratch.
Now, if you’re looking for an amazing salad to serve with this amazing soup, try this Apple, Gorganzala Pecan and Bacon salad by Sweet Little Bluebird. It’s heavenly!
And don’t forget the homemade dinner rolls or some homemade bread for dunking. That bread machine recipe is so easy!
Bon Appetite!
More Amazing Homemade Soup Recipes
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Easy Lentil Soup with Potatoes, Bacon and Vegetables
Easy Beef and Barley Soup
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
