Easy Tomato Soup

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

Last updated: May 7, 2023 · Recipes developed by Vered DeLeeuw and nutritionally reviewed by Rachel Benight MS, RD · This website generates income via ads and uses cookies.

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This easy tomato soup doesn't require sauteing, pureeing, and straining, yet it's wonderfully creamy and delicious.

Ready in just 30 minutes, it makes the perfect lunch and is also wonderful as a light weeknight dinner.

Tomato soup served in a white bowl with a spoon.

The first time I made this recipe, I wanted to make soup, but I wanted it to be easy. Truly easy! Even easier than this onion soup.

I didn’t feel like sauteing shallots, cooking tomatoes, peeling, pureeing, straining... It's not that complex recipes are bad. It's just that I usually don't have the patience for them.

This soup is truly easy to make and it's so good! It's thick, creamy, and delicious. A truly comforting soup. And when served with grilled cheese toast, it really takes one back to one's childhood!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Expert tip
Frequently asked questions
Variations
Serving suggestions
Storing leftovers
Related recipes
Recipe Card

Ingredients

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

Canned tomato puree: Try to use an Italian brand if you can. They're sweeter and less acidic. See the discussion below.

Chicken broth: I use regular, as I find that low sodium is bland. When I happen to have homemade chicken broth in the fridge, I use that.

Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you might want to reduce the amount you use.

Spices: Garlic granules, onion granules, 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.

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.
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, about 1-2 more minutes.

A six-photo collage showing the steps for making an easy tomato soup.

Expert tip

I use either 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 using 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.

Frequently asked questions

What spices are good in tomato soup?

In addition to onion and garlic powders, I like to add cumin and paprika to this soup.

Admittedly somewhat unusual, this combination of spices and flavors is warm and wonderful. 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 using flavorless fresh tomatoes. And by the way, I also use canned pumpkin in this easy pumpkin soup. It's wonderful!

Can I use sour cream instead of heavy cream?

Yes, you can. But sour cream can curdle. So remove it from the fridge when you start making the recipe 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 heat heavy cream.

When reheating leftovers, take extra care to do so on very low heat.

Variations

I love this recipe as is and almost always make it as written. But in case you'd like to vary the basic recipe, here are a few ideas for you:

Experiment with spices. Interesting options include dried oregano and dried thyme.
You can use vegetable stock instead of chicken, although I feel that 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.

Serving suggestions

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

Storing leftovers

You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to four days. Reheat them very gently in the microwave, covered, on 50% power.