Homemade Tomato Soup is a classic soup recipe made with fresh ripe tomatoes and fresh herbs blended with a hint of cream.
The tomatoes are roasted with a hint of garlic to bring out the natural flavor and then blended to a creamy finish. Velvety rich, jam-packed with flavor, and easy to make!!
Homemade is Best
The best tomato soup recipe is simple and made with fresh ingredients just like this recipe.
This easy soup can be prepared in under an hour making it the perfect weeknight meal!
TOMATOES FOR SOUP
Any kind of tomatoes will work but of course use 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.
The tomatoes are roasted along with a bit of red bell pepper. The red pepper adds a bit of sweetness to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. Cooked carrots will also work (I add shredded carrots to marinara for sweetness too).
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
- Place tomatoes and peppers on a pan with olive oil and seasonings. Roast until you see a bit of char.
- Bring broth to a boil and add roasted tomatoes.
- 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 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 shredded carrot cooked with the mixture, pinch of sugar, a couple of pats of butter or some coconut milk (make sure it’s unsweetened).
We often eat tomato soup with a classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich for dipping or topped with croutons and parmesan cheese!
What to Eat with Tomato Soup:
A classic grilled cheese (or Grilled Cheese Roll-Ups) and tomato soup is definitely a favorite!
More Fresh Tomato Recipes
- Tomato Bisque
- Garden Fresh Bruschetta
- Fresh Tomato Salad
- Pico de Gallo
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Roasted Tomatoes
- Tomato Pie
Did you enjoy this Fresh Tomato Soup? Leave a rating and a comment below!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds ripe tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- ½ onion diced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, oregano
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish, optional
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream optional
- thinly sliced fresh basil leaves for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Wash the tomatoes, or peel them if desired (see notes). Cut smaller apricot sized tomatoes in half and cut larger tomatoes into quarters or eighths.
- Place tomatoes, garlic, onion, bell pepper, olive oil, salt, pepper and dried herbs on a large rimmed baking sheet.
- 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 blender or hand blender to blend the mixture until smooth and creamy. Add heavy cream if using.
- Top with parmesan cheese, croutons or a drizzle of heavy cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Soup
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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.
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!
This sounds wonderful. Just one question though. When you cut the tomatoes,you didn’t remove the hard part on the top. Does that get included in the soup?
You can remove it if you’d like. If they’re smaller I don’t always bother but if they’re larger I do remove them.
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!