Cooking up a batch of the Best Creamy Homemade Tomato Soup is very easy and can be ready to serve in about 30 minutes. This creamy soup recipe includes passata (a type of tomato sauce), heavy cream, a touch of sugar and a handful of other ingredients. Best of all, this recipe does not involve chopping, blending or the use of a knife. It can't get easier than that!
If a quick dinner of a steaming bowl of creamy tomato soup is on the menu, then I suggest you try my Easy Grilled Cheese with a Twist sandwich to go along with it. Or, if you are looking for something heartier, you may enjoy my Beef Minestrone Soup or my authentic Italian Lentil and Barley soup with Vegetables.
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Gather the Ingredients for the Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup
- Passata, this is a tomato purée. It is a silky smooth tomato product free of seeds and tomato peel. You can also use tomato sauce (without added ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and seasonings).
- Chicken stock, vegetable stock or water.
- 35% heavy cooking cream, plus extra for garnish (optional).
- Shallot
- Fresh basil
- Kosher salt
- White sugar
- Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (optional), for added flavour.
- Pine nuts for garnish (optional), the slight crunch of the pine nuts is a nice contrast to the smooth soup.
See the recipe below for specific quantities and details.
How to make the best Creamy Tomato Soup
Add the passata and chicken stock. To a heavy-bottomed pot, begin by pouring in the bottle of passata. To "clean" out the contents of the bottle, add the chicken stock to the bottle, put the cap back on and give the bottle a good shake. Then pour this mixture into the pot.
Add remaining ingredients. Next, add in the remaining ingredients (excluding the pine nuts and additional cream for garnish if using). Although the shallot is left whole, it will still impart a nice flavour to the soup without adding any chunks. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, remove the Parmigiano rind, shallot and basil leaves and discard.
While the soup simmers. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts to the dry pan, moving them around and stirring often until golden brown. This should take approximately 10 minutes. Pine nuts can go from a beautiful golden brown to scorched very quickly once they start to roast, so stay close by!
Serve. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and drizzle with cream. Enjoy 🙂
Secrets for Success
- Use cream specifically labelled "cooking cream." This type of heavy cream is specially formulated to withstand high cooking temperatures. Acidic foods like tomatoes can cause the cream to curdle or split. Using a heavy "cooking cream" will prevent the soup from curdling.
- While other tomato products like tomato sauce may work in this recipe, passata is best suited for this soup because passata is designed for recipes with a shorter cooking time. Also, passata does not contain seeds or tomato peel therefore, the soup will be silky in texture.
- Remember to stir the soup several times during the cooking process to prevent sticking.
- When you purchase Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, don't throw out the rind. Put the rinds in the freezer for future use and add them to soups and stews for an additional flavour boost.
Substitutions & Variations
- Although using chicken stock will enhance the overall flavour of the soup, vegetable stock or water may also be used.
- 15% cooking cream will also work in this recipe, however, the end result will be less rich.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use tomato sauce, but make sure that the tomato sauce does not contain other ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and seasonings. This is why passata is suitable for this recipe because it's strained tomatoes and sea salt.
Yes! This version of tomato soup includes minimal ingredients. Although sugar has been added to the recipe, it is a very small amount compared to commercially prepared soups. This recipe is also a good source of vitamin C, which is a beneficial antioxidant.
You can leave out the sugar if you like; however, the overall amount of sugar suggested is negligible. The sugar complements the flavour of the sweet tomatoes making the soup less acidic.
I don't recommend freezing this soup because the texture might change slightly, becoming grainy.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover soup in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The soup will keep for up to 3 days.
Recipe
Best Creamy Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe
Equipment
- heavy bottomed pot
- measuring cups and spoons
- wooden spoon or spatula
- frying pan, to toast pine nuts if using
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 bottle passata, 24.5-ounce bottle or 680 millilitres
- 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
- ½ cup 35% cooking cream
- 1 shallot, peeled and left whole
- 1 sprig fresh basil, 5-6 leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind, 1-inch by 2-inch piece or 2.5 centimetres by 5 centimetres
Garnish
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- 4 tablespoons 35% cooking cream
Instructions
Soup
- Add the passata and chicken stock. To a heavy-bottomed pot, begin by pouring in the bottle of passata. To "clean" out the contents of the bottle, add the chicken stock to the bottle, put the cap back on and give the bottle a good shake. Then pour this mixture into the pot.1 bottle passata, 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
- Add remaining ingredients. Next, add in the remaining ingredients (excluding the pine nuts and additional cream for garnish if using). Although the shallot is left whole, it will still impart a nice flavour to the soup without adding any chunks. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, remove the Parmigiano rind, shallot and basil leaves and discard.½ cup 35% cooking cream, 1 shallot, 1 sprig fresh basil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon white sugar, 1 piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
Garnish
- While the soup simmers. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts to the dry pan, moving them around and stirring often until the pine nuts are golden brown. This should take approximately 10 minutes. Pine nuts can go from a beautiful golden brown to scorched very quickly once they start to roast, so stay close by!¼ cup toasted pine nuts
Serve
- Serve. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and drizzle with cream. Enjoy 🙂
Beth Donaldson says
This looks like a very good recipe, do you think I could use another type of nut for the garnish?
Donna Poirier says
Hi! I am thinking that pepitas (pumpkin seeds) might give the right amount of crunch or slivered almonds. Let me know which you decide to try 🙂
Andrea says
Wow super delicious 👍
Donna Poirier says
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.