Make this Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup for dinner any day of the week! Canned tomatoes and fresh herbs make this perfect for busy weeknights, lazy weekends and tight budgets!
I came up with this recipe for tomato soup, back in the dayzzz. We didn’t exactly live in the best neighborhood but it wasn’t the worst either. The produce in the supermarkets were horrendous… not worth salvaging in any way. The farmers markets weren’t close, i didn’t drive ( still dont;-)), and money was always tight …Needless to say I relied a lot on my dry pantry, a few affordable fresh herbs and staples ( i had to trek 30 minutes by bus to get them) plus we ate meatless meals more than a couple times a week. I ain’t mad though, a lot of creativity came out of that struggle:-)
Canned tomatoes are always in my pantry… always. They are so inexpensive, nutritious and very versatile but this recipe by far is one of my fave ways to use them. My creamy tomato soup only has a handful of ingredients, one of which is a surprise hidden veggie… carrots!! I grate the carrots and sneak it in there. You can’t taste it, I promise;-) I had to trick my kids into eating more veggies somehow lol! Trust me, Kids and adults alike will love this Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup.
Mise En Place for Creamy Tomato Soup
Equipment:
- Cutting board and Sharp Knife
- Grater
- Can opener
- Soup pot
- Wooden spoon
- Blender – Hand or regular
Ingredients:
- Canned tomatoes – crushed or diced
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Fresh parsley- fresh herbs are the key to making canned food not taste like canned food. You can sub in basil but parsley is more affordable and honestly I prefer it in this soup.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Heavy cream – sub in any milk. (coconut milk is delicious!) or leave it out all together.
Let’s make Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup!
First things first, affix your cutting board to a flat surface. A damp paper towel placed underneath will do the trick. Gather all your mise en place.
Prep ingredients:
Open the cans of tomatoes and set aside. Peel your onion and roughly chop it. Smash the garlic. Wash the carrots and grate them using the large holes on the grater. Wash, dry and roughly chop the parsley. There’s no need to cut anything finely, we’re just going to blend it all up later.
Time to Cook:
This is gonna go by quick! Place your pot over medium high heat on the stove, when its hot, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan plus a smidge extra. Throw in your carrots and onions and a three fingered pinch of salt. Saute until the onions and carrots are soft and start to brown, about 5 minutes. Don’t hover over the clock, just pay attention to the color of the veggies, That’ll be your cue to add in the garlic. Saute the garlic until its fragrant. It won’t take long before it starts to smell glorious. Add the Cans of tomato, chopped parsley and a big pinch of salt. Swish about ¼ cup of water between the two cans, add that to the soup. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Turn off the heat and blend the tomato soup. If you have a hand blender.. Go you! If not, just carefully ladle the soup into a blender. Remove the small circular top part of the lid, place the lid over the blender with a hand towel over it. Puree the soup all the while holding the lid down with the towel. Once the soup is pureed to your desired consistency, stir in the heavy cream.
Time to eat:
Make some grilled cheese or some kind of cheesy bread, dunk it in the soup and chow down!
Prep Tips
This is one of those things that don’t need much prep ahead, unless you’re like me and like to batch prep meals during the week that have the same mise en place. I love using my knife but sometimes I don’t have the time or energy during the week but I still want a good home cooked meal. Batch prepping is a great idea.
- Chop onions and carrots and store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Wash, thoroughly dry and store your herbs
- Open all cans, empty the contents into quart containers with lids and store in the fridge for up to a week.
If you’re a soup head like me, here’s another pantry fave , Mushroom and Coconut Soup w/ Ramen 🙂 That ones game changer for sure!
