A Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe Everyone Loves!

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Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe

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

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. Add the flour and mix until it is moistened.
  3. 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.)
  4. Add the tomato paste, honey, molasses, and seasonings. Mix to combine.
  5. Add the beef broth and milk.
  6. 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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Avatar photo

About Sarah Ozimek

Sarah is a writer, recipe developer, traveler, gardener, and lover of (almost) all things outdoors. Together with her husband Tim, she writes the blog Curious Cuisiniere where they explore world cuisines and cooking using real ingredients and tried and true methods, the way our ancestors have done for ages. Connect with Sarah on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Comments

    • Avatar photoSarah 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!