Easy Tomato Soup Recipe - Healthy Recipes Blog

Name: Easy Tomato Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 28 ounces canned tomato puree (just pureed tomatoes, no other ingredients); 2 cups chicken broth (not low-sodium); 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon garlic granules (or powder); 1 teaspoon onion granules (or powder ); 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 tablespoon sweetener (optional - taste and decide); ½ cup heavy cream

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This easy tomato soup doesn't require sauteing, pureeing, and straining, yet it's wonderfully creamy and delicious. Ready in 30 minutes, it makes the perfect lunch and is also wonderful as a light weeknight dinner.

Tomato soup is served in a white bowl with a spoon.

The first time I made this recipe, I wanted to make a truly easy soup, even easier than this onion soup. I didn’t feel like sauteing shallots, cooking tomatoes, peeling, pureeing, or straining. Indeed, this soup is a breeze to make. It's thick, creamy, and delicious - pure comfort. When paired with grilled cheese, it takes one back to one's childhood.

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tomato soup. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Canned tomato puree: It's best to use an Italian brand like Pomi or Cento. They're sweeter and less acidic than American brands.
Chicken broth: I use regular, as I find that low sodium is bland. When I have homemade chicken broth in the fridge, I use that.
To season: Kosher salt black pepper, garlic granules (or powder), onion granules (or powder), paprika, and ground cumin.
Sweetener: Optional, just a little, and only if you use American canned tomatoes, which tend to be quite acidic.
Heavy cream: As an alternative, you can use well-blended, full-fat canned coconut milk.

Variations

Experiment with spices. Interesting options include dried oregano and dried thyme. You can add ½ teaspoon of each.
You can use vegetable stock instead of chicken, although chicken broth provides a more flavorful base.
The sweetener is optional. Taste for yourself and decide.
You can use well-stirred, full-fat, unsweetened canned coconut milk instead of heavy cream.

Instructions

Making this tomato soup is truly easy, especially compared with traditional recipes. Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:

Add the tomato puree, chicken broth, and spices to a stockpot. Stir to combine.

Whisking the soup ingredients in the saucepan.

Simmer the soup for 20 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low, stir in the cream, and keep the pot on the stove just until the soup is heated through, for 1-2 more minutes.

Expert Tip

As mentioned above, I use Cento tomato puree or Pomi strained tomatoes in this recipe. Both are Italian brands. Cento is easier to find in regular supermarkets. They are sweeter and less acidic than American brands.

If you use an American brand such as Muir Glen Tomato Puree, you might need to add a small amount of a sweetener to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes, so taste and decide.

Recipe FAQs

What spices are good in tomato soup?

In addition to onion and garlic powders, I like to add cumin and paprika. Admittedly somewhat unusual, this combination of spices and flavors is hearty and warm. And it doesn't overwhelm the soup - it simply enhances it.

Isn't it better to use fresh tomatoes?

Not necessarily. Fresh tomatoes do not always taste so good, especially in winter, when most of us tend to make soup. Winter tomatoes are often pale, mealy, and flavorless.

Arguably, you're better off using high-quality canned tomatoes than flavorless fresh tomatoes. And by the way, I also use canned pumpkin in this easy pumpkin soup, and it's wonderful!

Can I use sour cream instead of heavy cream?

Yes, but sour cream can curdle. So, remove it from the fridge when you start making the soup to allow it to reach room temperature.

Add it to the soup off-heat once you're done cooking - don't heat it as you would heavy cream. And when reheating leftovers, take extra care to do so on very low heat.

Serving Suggestions

Like probably everyone else in America, I like to eat this soup with a grilled cheese sandwich, so I often serve it with this keto grilled cheese sandwich. Other tasty options include:

Storing Leftovers

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat them covered in the microwave (to prevent splatters) at 50% power. I don't recommend freezing any soup that contains heavy cream.