Why crush the tomatoes by hand?

The main goal here is to use higher quality tomatoes, and usually whole canned tomatoes are higher quality whereas pre-crushed tomatoes are made from bits and pieces of lower quality tomatoes. That being said, I've made this without hand-crushing the tomatoes (either using crushed canned tomatoes, or breaking apart the tomatoes in the pan with a spoon) and it's still delicious.

How can I make this vegan?

Skip the bacon, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and skip the cream at the end (or throw a handful of cashews into the blender with the soup to make it creamy).

Can this soup be frozen?

Yes! It should keep in the freezer for 3-4 months.

Can this be made in the Instant Pot?

Yes! See recipe notes for instructions.

Can I omit the bacon?

It totally works to make this meat-free, but you'll lose a bit of the flavor the bacon adds. Just add in some oil to sauté the veggies in the second step.

Simple Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe

Description

Simple Homemade Tomato Soup with carrots, onions, garlic, tomatoes, broth, and bacon for deliciously rich flavor. It’s super easy to make and is bound to be your next cold weather favorite!

Ingredients

Units Scale

4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
2 carrots, chopped
half of a yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon flour
4 cups chicken broth (more to thin out the soup at the end as needed)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
one 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes
2 tablespoons cream (optional – to add at the end as desired)
kosher salt to taste (I like 1-2 teaspoons)

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Instructions

Fry the bacon in a large soup pot over medium low heat until bacon starts to get crispy and browned, about 5-8 minutes.
Add the carrots, onion, and garlic to the bacon in the pan; sauté for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are very aromatic and tender.
Add the tomato paste – stir for a few minutes until you can see/smell the tomato paste starting to brown and caramelize. Add the flour and stir for a minute or so.
Pour the tomatoes and their juice into a bowl and crush them with your hands. Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, thyme, and bay leaf to the soup pot. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree in batches and return to the pot. Add cream if you want. Season with salt. Look at that homemade tomato soup, you champ.

Equipment

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Notes

Instant Pot Instructions: Follow the recipe as-is using the sauté function on the Instant Pot, and then instead of simmering for 30 minutes, cook it on manual high pressure for 15 minutes with a quick release last the end. Blend, add your cream, and serve!

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 50 mins
Category: Soups
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American

Keywords: homemade tomato soup, tomato soup recipe, tomato soup with bacon, tomato soup, grilled cheese