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!
Simple Homemade Tomato Soup
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Best Tomato Soup ever! I’ve made it three times! Flavorful, full-bodied without cream! Thank you for posting!
Beth S
This is a fan favorite recipe that’s part of our Fall 2022 SOS Series! View the full series.
Hallooooo, fall!
And hallo, tomato soup. Yes, it’s soup season, although, let’s be honest – I would not be sad if I ended up eating this for 12 out of 12 months of the year. This homemade tomato soup could love me all year long.
I based this recipe off of the cream of tomato soup recipe in The New Classics cookbook (affiliate link) by Saveur and yes I’ve essentially read this cookbook cover to cover. Reading a cookbook like this cover to cover essentially means cooking it cover to cover, which is possibly the best thing that ever did happen to me.
In This Post: Everything You Need For Tomato Soup
- VIDEO for Tomato Soup
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make the Best Tomato Soup
- What to Serve with Tomato Soup
- FAQ About Making Tomato Soup
Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?
Click here to see the step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!
Why You’Ll Love This Simple Homemade Tomato Soup
Can I blow your mind for a second? This homemade tomato soup starts with bacon. B-a-c-o-n. Tomato soup // bacon // it just works. These are the delicious ways in which Saveur inspires.
Does it absolutely NEED the bacon? Yes! Just kidding, you could skip it if you have to. But it adds such a subtle smokiness and richness that you didn’t even know you were missing from tomato soup until now. That secret little depth that will have you saying “why is this so good?!” over and over in between cheesy bread dunks.
The velvety texture that you get from the blending and the drizzle of cream also just cannot be beat. And it really is so easy to bring together this beautiful little bowl of comfort which is always an absolute win in any book. Yay simplicity! Yay deep, deep deliciousness.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what else we’re working with:
- Some fresh veggies and aromatics like carrots, onion, and garlic.
- Yummy herbs like thyme and bay leaf.
- Lots of tomato goodness thanks to a delicious can of (HAND-CRUSHED) San Marzano.
- Cream. Because, of course.
Ohhhmygosh, the smells that will happen. I am having a hard time imagining anything more comforting than being in my kitchen experiencing the simmer-smells of this simple homemade tomato soup in progress.
Let’s Make Something Delicious
Start this soup by crisping up some bacon in a large pot or, even better, a Dutch oven.
Once things are looking crispy, toss in your cut-up veggies. Give things a little stir to coat everything in the bacon grease.
Plop in some tomato paste with a little bit of flour and watch things start to carmelize. Okay, gosh. This soup, folks! We’re not even done and it’s so good!
Pour your can of San Marzano tomatoes in along with some dried spices and broth and just let the soup simmer. The high maintenance, if you can even call it that, part of the soup is done.
To finish, give your soup a quick blitz in the blender to puree it (or use an immersion blender, if you have one), splash in some cream and a lil’ salt and pepp treatment and boom. That’s all! An incredibly easy and delicious soup in an hour.
How To Make The Best Homemade Tomato Soup Every Time
- Add flavorful herbs and spices. Basil is often found in tomato soup, which, yes, is DELICIOUS. However, other spices and herbs can be added to some flavor. Rosemary and thyme, chives and parsley, even a zippy cheese such as feta can level up your tomato soup.
- Don’t forget the cream. Add in coconut milk, heavy cream, or butter to give your tomato soup a silky texture. We’re talking richness that tastes decadent without being overindulgent.
- Add a drizzle, fresh zest, or dollop right before serving. This is going to take it riiiiiiight over the top. Some life-changing ideas: a spoonful of pesto, sour cream, fresh herbs, or lots of shredded cheese.
What To Serve With This Tomato Soup
I am going to have to ask you —> please make some extremely cheesy Parmesan garlic bread (recipe coming soon!) or grilled cheese or grilled sourdough bread or something, because what is tomato soup without the cheesy bread for dunking?
But with that being said, ultimately what is going to warm you to your toes and make you feel like a long nap on the couch is this simple homemade tomato soup. WITH BACON, remember. With bacon.
And if absolutely necessary to round things out a bit, here are a few green things to join the party as well:
- Simple Green Salad (SOS simple and seriously delicious)
- Brussels and Kale Caesar with Cheesy Croutons (those croutons are basically a salad topper and soup dipper in one)
- Toasted Bread and Parmesan Kale Salad (simple, zippy, cheesy, YUM)
- Bacon and Brussels Sprout Salad (MORE BACON!)
Alright! Today is your day to make simple homemade tomato soup. I can just feeeeeeel it.
It’s smoky, a little bit sweet, and just as creamy or not-creamy as you want it to be. It’s simple – ready in just under an hour, with MOST of that time being the part where you just gaze lovingly at the pot of simmering tomatoes and let the smells of carrots and onions and garlic and bacon wrap you up in their loveliness.
Cheers to your relaxing, comforting, hug-in-a-bowl tomato soup day!
Homemade Tomato Soup: FAQs
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
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 1x
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)
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.
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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
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Try Our Other Soup Recipes
- Basic + Awesome Broccoli Cheese Soup (creamy, cheesy, and soooo dreamy)
- Ang’s Creamy Tortellini Soup (will change your life!)
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings (classic made quick + easy)
- White Chicken Chili (bacon, cheese, chicken, beans – gang’s all here!)
Filed Under: All Recipes Bacon Carrot Dinner Fall Main Dishes Most Popular Quick and Easy SOS Series Soups Stovetop Tomato
September 22, 2022
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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So good! Made this for my daughter who just had a baby. It was pure comfort food. We did grilled cheese on the side, but certainly nothing else was needed. It filling enough to stand alone. Was a little leery of the bacon but am sold!!
Delicious 😋
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Sounds delicious 😋
Can you safely can the tomatoe soup ?
I came here to ask the same thing. Did you try it, Barb? My 6 year old requests this soup often. I’d like to have it more readily available by canning it this year.
Hi, Barb! We haven’t tried this before, so unfortunately we’re not sure about this.
This soup gets 5 stars from me.
It was so delicious!
I used San Mariano tomatoes with basil and I added oregano along with spices recipe called for. Chicken both was low sodium.I did add 1/2 small jar of roasted red bell pepper. Even before my recipe tweaks this soup was fantastic!
This soup is amazing! I would just make a note in the recipe to remove the bay leaf before pureeing. It is such a bummer to forget and have little chunks of bay leaf in the soup!
Making this tomorrow for dinner and totally bought 128 oz of whole tomatoes. Glad y’all said something! BUT with the other 4+ star reviews, I am looking forward to dinner tomorrow night! Will post review after cooking!
This is now my GO TO recipe for tomato soup! The first time I made it I left the bacon in while I pureed everything together along with the tomato seeds and you could feel these little pieces that did not puree. So now I strain the tomatoes first and remove the bacon for the very end. So good with a little cream mixed in! Also, I only use San Marzano tomatoes. One time I made two batches of this soup, one with domestic (Canadian) tinned tomatoes and the other with Italian San Marzanos and their WAS a difference in taste. A little more expensive but worth it.
I am amazed by this recipe site. It’s like someone heard every compliment and complaint I’ve ever made about sites and said “now we can make the perfect one”. You are succinct when needed. Great photos. Useful nutrition info. Easy navigation. Great choices. Very simple treatments using good ingredients. Yada yada yada. I can’t wait to try them.
Hi,
The tomato soup sounds great. You may wish to edit by asking readers to remove the bay leaf before using the immersion blender. That’s all—nice blog.
B
It’s a good recipe, I would recommend an old school potato masher once you put the whole tomatoes in the pot and use an immersion blender rather than remove from the pot, Both are timesavers and you’re washing a lot less bowls and blenders!
I’ve made this soup twice. My family loves your recipe. So great for today——it really feels like fall. We served it with grilled cheese sandwiches, all so delicious!
Grilled cheese sandwiches sound SO PERFECT with this!
You lost me at “bacon”!
The addition of bacon in this recipe is what drew me in. Up until now my three kids only cautiously dipped corners of grilled cheese into their tomato soup. I’ve tried several recipes. This one was a home run. Spoons were used by all three children!!
My only swap was gluten free sweet rice flour for the regular flour. I’ve found this to be a great alternative for thickening soups to make them GF for our Celiac son.
We will be adding this recipe to our soup rotation. Thank you!
This sounds delicious, but I’m not sure about the 69% of our daily sodium in each serving – that seems like a lot for a cup of soup! If you can help me think of way to reduce that, I would be so grateful!
I use less bacon, less salt, and low or no sodium versions of tomatoes, chicken broth, etc. and I got used to it. There’s no magic wand. Recipes using Asian sauces are the biggest challenge.
Can you use fresh tomatoes instead of canned? So plentiful now.
Hi Nancy! We’ve never made this reipe with fresh tomatoes, but I’m sure it’d work. I think you’d first want to roast the tomatoes with salt, pepper, and olive oil.
looking forward to you recipes
This is a great recipe! I made it tonight and it was delicious!
This blog is very helpful to me, thank you!
THANK YOU HEATHER! I just put 128 ounces of tomatoes on my grocery list! I thought that was the recipe…….
Any thoughts for a gluten-free sub for the 1 Tbsp flour? Would cornstarch work or would it make it wonky? 1:1 substitution? Making for a gluten free friend so I’m not v. familiar with good subsitutes.
Great question! You could try gluten free flour. Cornstarch may work okay, or you could simply leave out the flour!
We really love this recipe for grilled cheese and tomato soup night! It’s part of our regular rotation!
I’ve made this tomato soup many times (with enough to share) and it is always a favorite.
Love the soup
I never liked tomato soup but my Aunt loves it so I made this for her and, WOW! I love this tomato soup. I thought the ingredients were odd but I made it exactly as written and it is superb! I didn’t have any heavy cream but I found that half and half worked well at the end. Thank You! I can now join the ranks of tomato soup eaters!