by Holly
Homemade Tomato Soup is quite possibly one of the most perfect soup recipes you will find! Garden fresh tomatoes, red peppers, garlic, and fresh herbs are roasted to bring out their natural flavors, then blended to a creamy finish.
We often eat tomato soup with a classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich for dipping or topped with croutons and parmesan cheese!
Fresh Garden Tomatoes
The best tomato soup recipe is simple and made with fresh ingredients. This is the best I have ever had (and once you learn how to make tomato soup, you’ll never buy canned again)!
Tomatoes for Soup
Making tomato soup from scratch is surprisingly easy. It needs just a few fresh ingredients and can be prepared in under an hour making it the perfect weeknight meal!
I use fresh garden tomatoes, any kind of tomatoes will work. I would suggest using the ripest, reddest ones you can find as they’ll have the best (and sweetest) flavor.
In a pinch you can use canned tomatoes, they won’t have the same flavor as roasted tomatoes but are still great. Use a portion of canned fire roasted tomatoes for extra flavor.
How Many Tomatoes in a Pound
Of course, this varies based on the variety of tomato but to give you a general idea here are the approximates. This recipe is forgiving so it is ok if there’s a little bit more or less.
1 lb of tomatoes is approximately (remember you need 3lbs for this recipe):
- 2 large tomatoes
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 2 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 20 cherry tomatoes
How to Make Tomato Soup
This tomato soup recipe could not be more simple! I start with fresh tomatoes and of course the better your tomatoes, the better your soup will be!
- Cut diced tomatoes/peppers with aromatics, herbs, and seasonings.
- Roast until you see a bit of char on the veggies.
- Bring broth to a boil and add roasted vegetables.
- Blend using a hand blender until smooth & creamy.
Top with parmesan cheese or a drizzle of heavy cream if you prefer.
If Your Tomatoes Are Too Tart
This recipe calls for heavy cream which is optional. I personally don’t generally add the cream, however, sometimes tomatoes can be very tart (depending on the variety) so the addition of extra cream can help smooth out the flavor.
Other additions for a tart soup include a pinch of sugar, a couple of pats of butter or some coconut milk (make sure it’s unsweetened).
Such a great way to enjoy fresh seasonal tomatoes from the garden! Made with garlic, and fresh herbs like basil, parsley, and oregano, this roasted tomato soup recipe has such a fresh flavor!
A Healthy Option
Canned tomato soup can be high in sodium or have other additives however, this easy homemade tomato soup is garden fresh!
This recipe is made with a limited amount of salt, fresh and natural ingredients as well as low sodium chicken broth, so this tomato soup from scratch is both delicious and healthy!
What to eat with Tomato Soup: Keep in mind the classic grilled cheese and tomato soup combo which is definitely a favorite! Other favorites are:
- Grilled Cheese Roll Ups
- 30 minute dinner rolls
- Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks
- Shortcut Garlic Parmesan Crescent Rolls
- Easy Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
This fresh Tomato Soup is a summery hug in a bowl! Zesty tomatoes, red peppers, garlic, and herbs combine to create, quite possibly, the best-roasted tomato soup I have ever made.
Fresh Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 3 lbs fresh ripe tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- ½ onion diced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs basil/parsley/oregano
- fresh basil & parsley for serving
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese optional garnish
- 1/2 cup heavy cream optional
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Wash and cut tomatoes (cut in half for smaller apricot sized tomatoes, cut larger tomatoes into quarters or eighths).
- Place tomatoes, garlic, onion, bell pepper, olive oil, salt, pepper and dried herbs on a large pan.
Roast 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Turn oven to broil and broil 3-4 minutes or until some of the tomatoes get a little bit of char color on them.
Bring chicken broth to a boil, add tomatoes and fresh herbs. Using a hand blender, blend mixture until smooth and creamy. Add heavy cream if using.
Top with parmesan cheese, croutons or a drizzle of heavy cream.
Recipe Notes
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Absolutely delicious! I blended it all until super creamy :)
Mmmm, so happy you loved it Melissa!
Boy oh boy Girl. You knocked it out of the park with this one. Perfect. Light. Fresh. Tasty. Thank you!
Thank you so much Alja! Glad you loved it too :)
I love this soup, was looking for one to make at the bar I work at, I made this and it was a huge hit, I doubled it and sold out in one night!! Amazing t
Gina, I am so glad this was a hit with your customers!
Can this recipe be canned?
Hi Lindsey, we have not tried canning this soup. If you do please let us know how it turns out.
I do not have a hand blender. Would it be safe to put in a regular blender?
Yes, just be certain not to close the lid tightly or the build up of steam can cause it to explode. You want to cover it but still allow steam to escape.
I just made this soup with tomatoes from my garden! I made a large batch. This soup is delicious!!! I tried without the heavy cream and with the heavy cream! Both ways are delicious!!This recipe is a keeper and was so easy. I used my blender.
Yay! So happy to hear that Michelle!
This recipe is so delicious!! Better than every other tomatoes soup I ever tasted, and I have traveled and tried things around the globe. This had become my no. 1 tomatoes soup recipe.
Thanks so much Ari! It makes my day that you have enjoyed the soup!
So good! Made with all our own produce. I didn’t have an immersion blender so I put the roasted veggies in my small food processor for a couple pulses, leaving chunks because I like chunks in my soup. But my husband asked if he could have his puréed and I have to say that was even better! Also the tomato skins are difficult to eat not puréed. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed the soup Stephanie!
My husband and I love tomato soup and grilled cheese. We are in TN visiting with family and decided we wanted an easy but yummy meal. We found it in your soup!! I’m going to make multiple batches and freeze, sans cream, dinner portions. Just as wonderful as my favorite tomato-bisque that I have out. Thanks bunches.
I am so glad you have been enjoying this recipe Joellen!
Absolutely great soup recipe. Very, very, very tasty! Thanks Holly
So glad you loved it Linda!
Tonight’s dinner. A bit flat for my liking so I recommend using a whole onion and the whole bell pepper and way more than 4 cloves of garlic. I would probably get the heavy cream too because it is a bit thin. I ended up adding a few palms of salt, sugar, dried onion, and more dried oregano and basil once it was all blended. The recipe does say you can add a can of fire roasted tomatoes for more depth but I didn’t see that until I was making it.
Thanks for the tips Sarah! Your additions sound great.
Pretty good, had to add some sugar to cut the acidity. Next time will add a turnip or potato. Oh yes I increased the herbs.
Those sound like great additions Josh. Let us know how it turns out.
Try it chilled…like gazpacho… it’s very refreshing.
Such a great idea Cheryl!
I used my processor to puree this soup, but the tomato seeds still remained. Does anyone have a recommendation for this because I really loved the taste but not the seeds.
You can seed the tomatoes before cooking (cut in half crosswise and scoop out the seeds) or try straining the soup after blending.
Thanks Holly, that is what I thought too but wanted to hear your opinion. Nancy
Use a sieve before you process them.
This soup was perfect. I have a bumper crop of tomatoes and this was a great way to use them. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you for sharing.
I am thrilled that you enjoyed this soup recipe Gary!
Has anyone tried making this with vegetable stock instead of chicken? Just interested in trying a vegetarian option!
Excited to try this for this week’s meals :)
We’ve only made this recipe as listed, but the vegetable stock should still be a tasty substitution!
I did and very very good. We didn’t puree the whole thing because my husband likes chunks n his soup and he loved it. Wanted more to put on stuff like fish and pasta. When I made it I added extra herbs and cut out one garlic clove. Herbs were great, but next time will use all recommended garlic.
I see you didn’t take the seeds out. I would think it would be better to take them out. Are they noticeable in the final soup?
I’ve never noticed them in the soup, you could certainly remove them if you’d prefer.
Yummy
We agree Delois!
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Excellent recipe!
Thanks Diego!
I made it for 30 servings, and I added too much liquid. It’s watery. Can you suggest how to thicken? I know cornstarch and or flour. I also wanted it tastier too. I added fresh herbs, salt and pepper.
If you have time, can you allow it to simmer down a bit to thicken? Another option would be to roast more tomatoes/peppers and add them in and blend.
Loves your Fresh Tomato Soup. First time I ever made Home Made Tomato Soup. I added lots of Fresh Organic Baby Spinach once the soup was blended and hot. Looking forward to other recipes you share!
thank You.
Thank you so much Janet! I am glad you enjoyed the soup!
This is seriously super easy to make and super delicious! Thank you !
Amanda, I am glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
This is the worst tomato soup i ever made.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it Mike.
Did you do what I did and add too much liquid? I don’t know why I did that. I was thinking 30 cups, 30 servings. My fault for doing that.
I just made this. Thank you so much! It taste very good.
So glad you enjoyed it Sarah!
Hi! I see it makes 6 servings but approx how much is one serving?
A serving one cup. I hope you enjoy the soup Stevie!
I made this yesterday but used beef broth and a bit of sun dried tomatoes as well as some red pepper flakes.
I let it simmer on stove about an hour before blending it.
Hubby raved about it, and is excited to eat it again, with good bread of course
Thank you for sharing a very easy and healthy recipe we will enjoy again and again! ❤️
So glad you both loved it!
Tomatoe Soup is awesome love it
I’ll start by saying Wow! Great recipe.
But I have a bit of a story to it. I am a total foodie from the U.S. but moved to Belize a few years ago. Here, the food tends to be quite bland. A lot of poor people in Belize so the main foods are chicken, rice, beans (or some other form of what they term, “Stew meat” which is essentially over-boiled beef or pork). I can’t stand it!
I have a bf (just proposed to me actually so now fiance’) whose appetite is beyond picky. He’ll eat only chicken or seafood and doesn’t have even a remotely sophisticated palate.
In Belize they have a soup called “Caldo” which is God Awful in my opinion. Basically it’s just chicken boiled in water. Very little flavor. But Belizeans love it. And chicken soup in Belize MUST have bones in it much to my chagrin but I’ve grown accustomered to it.
So for me to find a recipe I could adapt and fuse that would satisfy my palate while also being nutritious that I could make with the beautiful fresh veggies all ways available year round in Belize, was delightful!
I followed ther ecipe as said adding – as one reviewer suggested – a dash of honey at the end. They also have an herb here called Culantro (not to be confused with Cilantro) that is put in every single soup dish here so naturally I had to add some of that (part of the fusion aspect of it lol).
But since he wants meat in his soup, I cooked the chicken first as I normally would for any soup then added water and a bit of consumme’ for the “chicken broth.” I let that simmer and cook the meat completely. That’s what I added the tomato/onion/bell pepper/garlic/herbs to.
I gotta tell ya it was a hit way down here in Belize. Thank you for giving me something I could introduce the locals to that tthey don’t see as weird lol
Congratulations on your engagement! I love hearing about the traditional dishes of other countries, thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed this soup!
How do you prepare the fresh herbs? Do you use all the herbs suggested or pick one?
Chose any herb that you enjoy, or any combination. I suggest finely chopping them. Enjoy Sean!
Do I add in any liquid from roasting with the chicken broth? Will it make the soup too thin?
Great question Susan! Adding the liquid from roasting definitely adds flavor.
I absolutely adore this recipe! Last night was the second time we made it, and it turned out perfectly as usual. I love that this recipe is so fast, requires basically no prep, and uses only about 2 dishes in the house. It uses a sheet pan, and a pot. Clean up is such a breeze! I agree this is the perfect weeknight meal for the family. It makes 4 large bowls of soup for the family.
We add the tiniest pinch of sugar to cut the acidity, put fresh shaved parmesan in it and on top, and we char the veggies under the broiler for a few extra minutes. We like that char look and flavor! We omit the heavy cream in lieu of extra parmesan. It’s a great way for me to use up any remaining veggies that are about to go bad.
Sounds delicious Laurie! Thank you for sharing. So glad you love the soup so much!
Nutritional data doesn’t really matter if you don’t put down the serving size.
The recipe serves 6 so it’s about 1 cup.
Sounds good! Any idea how many tomatoes 3 pounds is?
It depends on the size of the tomatoes. Your local grocery store should have a scale in the produce section!
Thanks Holly! I never thought of that! I’ll do that so I know for next years garden tomatoes .
You’re welcome Lois!
This was delicious! Made with the last of our very late season garden tomatoes. Sprayed olive oil on veggies before roasting, used pre-minced garlic in the broth, and omitted the cream – otherwise, made exactly as written. This is my new “go to” tomato soup recipe. Thanks!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Great recipe, love the simplicity. After the summer bounty is gone, will canned tomatoes work..I’m not so lucky to have a garden and when the fresh crop disappears from the farmers market, I’m stuck
Canned tomatoes can work in a pinch, but the flavor might not be the same. Check the produce section of your grocery store.
I doubled up the cream and and added 1/3 a cup of dry sherry as well as a test of butter and simmered for 20 more minutes for a deeper flavor. Amazing recipe to start with.
So glad you loved it!
I do not have a hand blender… Can I use something else?
You can use a regular blender, be sure not to put the lid on tightly as it can build up steam and explode if sealed.
It sounds delicious! Do you remove the skins from the tomatoes? They don’t usually dissolve or grind up very well!
For this recipe Cynthia, I did not remove the skins. Enjoy!
I didn’t remove the skins, but did have to put the soup into my blender on liquefy to make it all smooth. Very delicious. BTW, I used frozen tomatoes from last year’s garden. I let them thaw, drained liquid off into my slow cooker, then proceeded with the recipe as written. Delicious.
Made this today. It was outstanding. I added a couple tablespoons of raw honey at the very end to cut acidity. Definitely a gem of a recipe when you have a surplus of garden !!
Yes, the garden comes fast and furious! We enjoy it while we can.
EXACTLY the simple, quick and DELICIOUS tomato soup recipe I was looking for. Highly recommend-and your totally right, this is how I will make fresh tomato soup from now on!!!
I’m happy to hear you loved it so much! We do too :)
Looks delish. Can’t wait to make it! Approximately how much soup does this yield?
This makes about 4.5 cups of soup.
delicious! Used this base recipe for my husband’s low residue diet and instead of charring all under the broiler, I put the vegetables in a kettle to finish cooking and added a few more tomatoes along with celery leaves. After the vegetables cooked soft I put them through my canning mill /strainer. Added half and half for a bit of fat content.
Sounds great Judy! Glad to hear you loved the soup.
Is this soup freezable? Would taste so good on a cold day.
I would suggest freezing without adding the cream, and add the cream as you reheat it. Enjoy Kim!