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HOMEMADE TOMATO SOUP (ROASTED FRESH TOMATOES OR CANNED) cover photo of the soup in a bowl garnished with croutons and basil.

Homemade Tomato Soup (Roasted Fresh Tomatoes or Canned)

This homemade tomato soup recipe can be made with either roasted fresh tomatoes or canned tomato paste.  It has just 5 simple ingredients and has a subtly sweet and creamy flavor.
It comes together in under an hour, but tastes like it simmered all day. I won't tell if you don't! And most of that time is hands-off, by the way. The oven does most of the work for us!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Simmer time 10 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 506 kcal

Equipment

  • dutch oven
  • baking sheet
  • immersion blender

Ingredients
  

  • 3 pounds tomatoes halved or quartered
  • 1 yellow onion chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 cups water
  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 4 tablespoons sugar or up to 6 tablespoons, to taste
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and spray with cooking spray or olive oil.  Wash and cut the tomatoes in half for small sized tomatoes, cut larger tomatoes into quarters or even eighths. 
  2. Place the tomatoes and peeled whole garlic cloves on the baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast until parts look slightly charred, about 25 minutes.  I always rotate the pan and give it a stir after the first 15 minutes.
  3. Pour the roasted tomatoes and garlic (plus the juices!) into a Dutch oven.  Add the water, cream, and sugar.  Uses an immersion blender to puree until smooth and creamy. If you like a chunkier soup, leave some of the pieces a little bigger. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then let it simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
  4. Serve with parmesan cheese, croutons or a drizzle of heavy cream. I also like to garnish it with chopped fresh basil when I have it. You'll get bonus points if you add a grilled cheese sandwich! 

Notes

Variation:

CREAMY TOMATO BISQUE WITH TOMATO PASTE

  1. In a Dutch oven (mine is a 5 quart), sauté a chopped onion in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir often.
  2. Add the 2 small cans tomato paste, water, cream, and sugar.  Uses an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then let it simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.

TIPS AND TROUBLESHOOTING

  • If your tomato soup is too acidic you can simply add more cream or even use the full amount of sugar to help reduce the acidic flavor. You can also add carrots to the soup to reduce the acidity of the tomatoes. 
  • It is very important to use ripe tomatoes when making this soup. If you can not buy ripe tomatoes, you can use canned tomatoes since they are usually picked and canned during their prime ripe days. Tomato paste is actually a favorite substitution at our house.
  • If your tomato soup is too thin for your liking, you can add some tomato paste, powdered dehydrated tomato skins, or let it boil down over low to medium heat for an extra fifteen minutes.

VARIATIONS

If you want to customize this recipe, I have a few ideas for you to try! I generally make this recipe as written, either with fresh tomatoes or tomato paste, and add sourdough croutons and fresh chopped basil.
  • Tomato Basil Soup Recipe: add ½ cup of fresh basil at the end of cooking
  • Tomato Tarragon: Add 1 teaspoon dried tarragon at the beginning of cooking
  • Tomato Florentine: Add 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning at the beginning of cooking, then add 2 cups of fresh chopped spinach at the end of cooking.
  • Tomato & Pasta: Add 1 pound of cooked ditalini or alphabet pasta to make homemade creamy tomato spaghetti-os.
  • Spicy Tomato Soup: Add 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes when mixing in all the ingredients. 

STORAGE

  • Creamy soups are best if eaten within 3 days, but can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 
  • To reheat the soup, place it into a small pan on the stove and warm until desired temperature is reached. 
  • It is possible to freeze leftovers in single servings, but I have found that the cream tends to separate and it isn't as appealing. If you do freeze it, eat it within 3 months for best flavor and don't freeze the fresh herbs with the soup.

Nutrition

Calories: 506kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 6gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 28gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 52mgPotassium: 682mgFiber: 3gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 3639IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 1mg
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