Easy Homemade Tomato Soup
Hello, everyone! For my first “real” blog post, I’m writing about one of my favorite recipes, creamy roasted tomato soup.
Many years ago, one of my best friends gave me a cookbook called Easy Keto for Busy People. She gave it to me and said, “I’m not saying you’re fat by giving you this diet book.” Thanks, Hallie, but I was fat at the time. Fast forward 6 or 7 years and I’ve since shed 90 pounds!
I have used this cookbook so much that the pages are falling out! I love it because it has simple recipes that anyone can follow. Yes, the recipes are fatty since they’re part of the keto diet, but you can modify them based on your nutritional needs or limitations and what you like. As noted in the tips, I've tried a few modifications to this recipe. And the best part? This soup is about 250 calories per regular sized bowl.
Let’s get into it.
Homemade Tomato Soup
Original recipe credit: Jennifer Marie Garza, page 75 of her cookbook Easy Keto for Busy People.
Time commitment:
Prep - 10-15 minutes
Cooking time - 30-60 minutes
Blending time - 5-10 minutes
On the table in less than 1-1.5 hours!
Equipment list:
Soup or larger pot that can hold ~5 cups of liquid (nonstick pot and not cast iron)
Knife and cutting board for chopping
Blender, regular or immersion - this is necessary!
1-2 cup measuring cup
Teaspoon
Tablespoon
Utensils for stirring/sauteing/serving
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive or another oil for sauteing
1 diced medium onion, yellow or white
2 teaspoons minced garlic, freshly chopped or pre-minced
28 ounces of fire-roasted tomatoes, diced or crushed
TIP: You might have to search hard for these tomatoes, but splurge on Muir Glen if you can!
2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
TIP: If you have veggie, beef, or another stock or broth that’ll work too. Don’t be afraid to use bouillon powder or cubes and even a chicken ramen seasoning packet and some water if you don’t have store bought.
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese, chopped and sitting at room temperature
TIP: Do NOT substitute nonfat cream cheese. The flavor will suffer! Neufchatel and full fat all the way.
2 teaspoons salt, more to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper, more to taste
Optional add-ins and extras:
Crackers
Cheez-Its (a great addition!)
Grilled cheese
Garlic or crusty sourdough bread
Steps to get your creamy tomato soup:
Gather all your equipment and ingredients.
Dice the onion and garlic if using fresh. If not, grab your pre-minced garlic from the fridge.
Preheat your soup pot over medium heat with 2 tbs olive or other oil.
Tip: You can also sauté in broth. It imbibes more flavor into your dish and eliminates some fat from the recipe. Try it out!
When the pan is hot, add onion and sauté until it’s mostly see-through, not browned, or stiff like it’s raw.
TIP: You know your pot’s ready when you add a bit of onion, and it sizzles just enough, but it doesn’t sound like you’re deep frying.
TIP 2: Feel free to season the onion with a touch of salt and pepper. And don’t overthink cooking it; we’re okay if it’s not raw or browned.
Add the garlic and cook until you start to smell it. Don’t sauté it too long! About 1 minute is all you need.
Add to the onion/garlic 2 cups of water, the canned tomatoes, and 2 cups of broth or stock and bring it to a boil.
TIP: Boiling means big bubbles and a lot of activity in the pot. The liquids will be Zumba dancing for you.
Lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes break down and the flavors fully develop.
TIP: Simmering is gentle bubbles with lazy dancing, not high-intensity Zumba.
TIP 2: Taste the soup as you let it simmer - does it taste amazing yet? If not, leave it a bit longer. Longer boiling also helps when you blend a few steps from now.
Add 4 oz cream cheese, 1 cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to the pot and cook, stirring, for a few more minutes.
TIP: Give the cream and cheese time to integrate into the soup before you turn it off. Just cook long enough for the cream cheese to be mostly integrated into the soup with no large chunks.
TIP 2: Also, taste your soup again at this point. Does it need more salt or pepper? Now’s the time to add more if you want.
Turn off the stove and let your soup sit for at least 5 minutes but as long as you want to cool down. Note that the longer you wait, the colder the soup will be, so you may have to put it back in the pot to reheat after blending.
This is a great time to make grilled cheese sandwiches and set the table!
Grab your blender and process the soup in batches.
TIP: Don’t put too much in your blender at once or you’ll have a kitchen catastrophe on your hands. Hot soup + overloaded blender = giant soup mess. Process in 2-3 batches.
TIP 2: For our diverticulosis sufferers or seed haters out there, don’t worry about the seeds in the canned tomatoes. They should be entirely or mostly blended up.
Serve your soup and blow everyone’s socks off! And don’t forget to let it cool completely before you store it in the fridge.
TIP: This freezes well despite it being dairy-heavy. You can put it in a Ziploc freezer bag and quickly defrost it later. Grilled cheese and bread freeze well too, so you can meal prep or save leftovers for a quick meal.
