It definitely took a few tries for me to come up with a homemade tomato soup recipe that lived up to my husband’s childhood memories. But this soup does it!
Tip: check out our creamy tomato basil soup recipe too.
Finding The Perfect Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe
If you asked my husband what dish exemplified childhood comfort to him, he would undoubtedly say tomato soup and grilled cheese.
The thing is, his idea of PERFECT tomato soup is the one that comes from a can.
That is the gold standard.
Or, maybe it was the standard.
It definitely took a few tries for me to come up with a homemade tomato soup recipe that lived up to his childhood memories. But this soup does it!
The Key To Perfect Homemade Tomato Soup
The one element that is essential to making perfect homemade tomato soup is a little sweetener.
As I was working on this recipe, things just weren’t coming out with the right flavors, so I looked at the ingredients in a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup.
You know what’s the second ingredient? High fructose corn syrup. Maybe that’s why people find it so addicting.
Either way, adding a little sweetener really is the key to make this soup the real deal. It cuts the acidity of the tomatoes and makes the flavor of the tomatoes pop.
In the recipe below, I’ve used a combination of honey and just a pinch of molasses. I find that the honey alone is too bright of a sweetness, but the addition of the molasses is perfect to deepen the flavors just a touch.
Develop Your Own Tomato Soup Recipe
There are so many ways you can make tomato soup. Creamy or not. Full of herbs or straight on tomato. Thick or thin. The list goes on.
The perfect tomato soup is the one that suits your tastes perfectly, so feel free to tweak this recipe as you like.
I’m partial to herbs and like a soup that gives a nice, rounded flavor. To do this, I add just a sprinkling of herbs and beef broth to our tomato soup.
However, if you’re a tomato soup purist and don’t want herbs, feel free to omit them.
If you only have chicken or vegetable broth on hand, feel free to use those instead.
How To Make Tomato Soup With Fresh Tomatoes
The recipe below calls for canned tomatoes because we always have some on hand. However, if you’re finding this recipe in the midst of summer tomato season, feel free to use some fresh tomatoes!
Really, there is nothing better than fresh tomatoes in this soup!
To use fresh tomatoes to make this tomato soup, you will need to blanch the whole tomatoes and remove the skins, as if you were getting ready to can them.
Coarsely chop your peeled tomatoes, and substitute about 4 cups of these fresh tomatoes for the canned tomatoes in the recipe.
Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 small onion, chopped
- ½ stalk celery, chopped
- 2 Tbsp organic all-purpose flour (find it here)
- 2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained (this brand uses BPA-free lined cans)
- 3 Tbsp organic tomato paste (this brand uses BPA-free lined cans)
- 2 Tbsp honey (find organic raw honey here)
- ¼ tsp molasses (find unsulphured organic molasses here)
- ¾ tsp salt (find unrefined sea salt here)
- ½ tsp basil (find organic dried basil here)
- ½ tsp oregano (find organic dried oregano here)
- â…› tsp ground black pepper (find organic black peppercorns here)
- 1 cup beef broth (find grass-fed organic beef bone broth here)
- ½ cup milk (or a non-dairy alternative of your choice)
Instructions
- In a medium soup pot, melt the butter. Add the chopped onion and celery and sauté over medium-high heat until the onions are golden, 5-7 minutes.
- Add the flour and mix until it is moistened.
- Combine the onion mixture and tomatoes in the bowl of your blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour the smooth tomato puree back into the pot. (Alternatively, add tomatoes to the pot with the onions and use a hand blender to puree.)
- Add the tomato paste, honey, molasses, and seasonings. Mix to combine.
- Add the beef broth and milk.
- Finally, bring the soup to just below a simmer. Keep it there, stirring often, for 5-10 minutes, until it thickens to your desired consistency.
Notes
The recipe below calls for canned tomatoes because we always have some on hand. However, if you’re finding this recipe in the midst of summer tomato season, feel free to use some fresh tomatoes!
Really, there is nothing better than fresh tomatoes in this soup!
To use fresh tomatoes to make this tomato soup, you will need to blanch the whole tomatoes and remove the skins, as if you were getting ready to can them.
Coarsely chop your peeled tomatoes, and substitute about 4 cups of these fresh tomatoes for the canned tomatoes in the recipe.
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Darrel Bumsted says
Can this soup be canned in jars? Water bath?
Thanks
Sarah Ozimek says
Hi Darrel. Because of the butter and milk, and the lower levels of acidity, I would not recommend caning this tomato soup. I’ll work on another recipe that would be good for canning, so look for it in the future!
Qfoodtravel says
Yummy!! This soup is so easy to make at home.
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us