When many people think of having tomato soup at home they think of buying the canned condensed soup or pre-made in a bowl. I used to do the same until I decided to try making my own homemade tomato soup.
Not only is the homemade recipe really easy to make, it’s hearty, affordable and versatile. I’ve found I can easily modify this recipe and experiment with different toppings as well. Today I’ll share my basic recipe, photos and tips for making tomato soup.
Homemade Tomato Soup
Recipe for Homemade Tomato Soup
There are various ways you can make homemade tomato soup. To make it completely from scratch you would use fresh tomatoes from the garden. My recommendation is to save some time and effort and used a 16 oz can of diced tomatoes. This will lend a nice hearty soup and allow you to try homemade tomato soup from canned tomatoes.
Alternately you can pulse the diced tomatoes before cooking for a creamier soup which is perfect for homemade tomato soup creamy. If you want an even more affordable but still homemade soup, try using a can of tomato paste. Tomato paste is usually only 40-cents where I live and when you add water you will gain multiple servings of soup.
This is actually the same tactic I use to make homemade tomato sauce and homemade pizza sauce when I do not have fresh tomatoes from my garden. Sometimes I’ll pick the base for my soup depending on what I have on hand. On this particular day I used diced tomatoes.
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Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe
Homemade Tomato Soup with Basil
You will need a medium sauce pan for this recipe. I start by putting the heat on low/medium and adding a few tablespoons of butter along with about 1/4 cup of white flour. Mix this together with a wood spoon.
Then add about 1 TB of sugar, this will lend the nice sweet taste that is typical with a can of condensed tomato soup. Alternately you could use honey or another sugar. Next I add some dried basil. If you have fresh basil (as I did the day I took these photos) you can add that instead.
Add the fresh basil at the end of the cooking, however. Dried basil should be added at the beginning. Next I add a little bit of salt and pepper. Now add your can of diced tomatoes, continuing to stir after adding each ingredient to the pot. If you are using the tomato paste be sure to add some water to your desired consistency.
Turn up the heat to medium/high to get the pot bubbling. Once bubbling add some milk. Usually I had about 1 cup of whole milk. Alternately you could add a few tablespoons of heavy cream. Other ideas include alternative milks, yogurt, sour cream, etc. I like to add a little dairy to really get that creamy consistency.
When you add the dairy be sure to add it slowly and stir constantly so that it mixes into the soup. Let it continue to bubble another minute or two. Then reduce the heat to low. Your homemade tomato soup is done! I find this whole process will take 20 minutes or less, to make this soup.
Tomato Soup Toppings
Most often we enjoy tomato soup along with grilled cheese sandwiches. When serving the soup you can also select what type of toppings to add. Sometimes we add Parmesan cheese. You might use crackers in the soup or bread on the side for dipping.
Remember if you are cooking with fresh basil to add that to the soup at the very end. Lately I’ve been adding a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast to my soup for added protein and B vitamins.
This homemade tomato soup is a favorite at our house. I make it so much I often don’t even measure the ingredients and it still comes out great! We enjoy it most often with grilled cheese sandwiches. You can also enjoy it with crackers or garlic bread dipped in the soup would also be nice. I like that this soup is quick and easy to make.
Homemade Tomato Soup Easy
In Summary
It’s also healthy and doesn’t contain all those preservatives most soups contain and it’s also pretty filling and hearty. I tend to make this soup more in the winter, but it can also be enjoyed in the summer if desired.
Do you eat soup in the summer?
*This post was originally published in 2011 and has been updated and republished for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
That soup looks so yummy. I don’t usually do soup in the summer, but occasionally I do
The soup looks tasty! I love french onion soup, but its just too salty for warm weather. We usually make a big crock pot of soup on fall days.
Sometimes I eat soup during the summer. But I usually love fattening stuff like baked potato soup. * belly rub! *
LOL! I should confess I did have a cup of cream of chicken soup (from the work cafeteria) earlier this summer. Belly rub on that one too!
Yum! I like soups year-round, but in the summertime I prefer cold soups, like chilled pea or gazpacho!
I’m a big fan of soup no matter the season. It’s just too easy and, depending on the soup, filling to leave just for winter. However, I do prefer lighter soups – with lots of fresh veggies – in the summer.
Girl, I have been craving soups!! I love them but I have tried to stay away because it has just been so hot! Can’t wait to have a bit of cooler weather so I can try all kind of new soup recipes!
I hate to discriminate between the times of the year – I eat them all at all times during the year. I’m less likely to make homemade soup, though, in the summer.
I eat cold soup 🙂 Yummm cold tomato soup is so refrsehing!
This cold soup thing is new to me!
Really???
Oh, btw that’s a tortilla soup recipe from runnesr world that’s become one of my favorite cold soups lately. But yeah, any kind of ‘spicy’ soup I think tastes good cold. Creamy soups like cream of mushroom or something are gross cause they get all gelatin like… but thin brothed ones are good 😀
Good to know!
i love soup, but now that i think about it, i dont eat it much in the summer. must be my subconscious making sure i keep my core body temp down LOL
I love soup and can eat it all the time!!!