Super Easy Pantry Tomato Soup
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Somehow winter passed, and I didn’t make a single pot of tomato soup. Somehow spring arrived, and six inches of snow still covers my lawn. I’m craving rhubarb (cooking with it, too), but living on beans and bread; still making soup all the time.
Here’s the latest: creamy tomato soup from a 2012 Bon Appetit. The recipe is incredibly simple, calling for nearly all pantry items: onions, garlic, tomato paste, and canned peeled tomatoes.
Do add thyme to your shopping list, however, and heavy cream, which could be omitted, but I think it adds a necessary touch of richness—the soup is made with water (as opposed to stock), and a little cream goes a long way here balancing the acidity and sweetness of the tomatoes.
I like to serve the soup with lots of freshly cracked pepper and shaved parmesan and bread, of course.
How to Make Tomato Soup, Step by Step
Sauté onions, garlic, and thyme in a few tablespoons of butter or olive oil until soft:
Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste:
Cook until caramelized, about 5 minutes:
Add 4 cups water and a 28-oz can of whole peeled tomatoes:
Simmer for about 45 minutes:
Discard the thyme sprigs, and purée until smooth. Add cream and lots of pepper:
Serve with bread, toasty or not, and shaved parmesan, if you wish:
PrintSuper Easy Pantry Tomato Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Adapted from this Creamy Tomato Soup recipe in Bon Appetit
I’ve been making a half recipe (reflected in the ingredients below), which never lasts the day, so feel free to double it.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- a few sprigs thyme
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar, optional
- ¼ cup (or more) heavy cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano for serving
- Fresh bread for serving
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add thyme, onion, and garlic. Season with salt. Cook until onion is completely soft and translucent, 10–12 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; add tomato paste. Continue cooking, stirring often, until paste has begun to caramelize in spots, 5–6 minutes—it will begin to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add tomatoes with juices and 4 cups water to pot. Increase heat to high; bring to a simmer. As the plum tomatoes rise to the surface while the soup simmers, use scissors to cut them up. (You’ll purée it later, but cutting them up helps them cook down better.) Reduce heat to medium. Simmer until flavors meld and soup reduces to about 1 quart, 45 minutes or so. Remove soup from heat; discard thyme sprigs. Working in small batches, purée soup in a blender until smooth or purée with an immersion blender.
- Stir in ¼ cup cream. Taste and adjust as needed. I usually add 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt, but I like salt, so season to taste or start with 1 teaspoon salt and add more to taste. I like lots of fresh cracked pepper, too. Simmer soup until flavors meld, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Taste again, and add more cream, if desired.
- Ladle soup into bowls and shave Parmigiano Reggiano over top. Serve with more pepper on the side and bread.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American, Italian
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85 Comments on “Super Easy Pantry Tomato Soup”
Is there any reason I can’t use stock instead of water? We just made your leek and potato soup tonight (with homemade stick!) and it was absolutely delicious!
Nope! Go for it 🙂 It will be delicious.
Making this delicious soup today! Just a friendly note you left out the 4 cups of water in the written recipe
Great to hear, Laurie! Thanks for writing. I’ll check the recipe… I think the water is in the instructions but not the ingredient list. Appreciate you bringing it to my attention regardless.
Just made this for lunch today. its cold and grey out and this hit the spot. Once I caramelized the paste the aroma of the soup started. By the end of the hour (left it for an hour because I forgot), the whole house smelled fabulous. I didn’t have any cream so just pureed and adjusted the seasoning. Amazing given it’s basically tinned tomatoes 🙂 . Thank you so much!
So nice to hear this, Sarah 🙂 🙂 🙂 I am always astonished by the flavor of this soup given the basic ingredient list. Thanks for writing!
Made this about a month ago and it is Amazing! Question. Can I use Crushed Tomatoes instead of Whole?
Great to hear, Mona! And yes, you can 🙂
The most wonderful and easy to put together soup that I realize I want in the morning and have ready by lunch. Thank you Ali for this recipe! Delish!
Great to hear, Michele 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks for writing. I love this one, too.
Hi Ali!
Thanks so much for your recipe(s)! Question: What do you think adding a bay leaf to this as it cooks with thyme and onion… Not sure the affect bay leaf would have.
Thank you,
Delicious! Go for it 🙂
Perfect easy to assemble pantry tomato soup recipe! I caramelized the onions longer and used two cups of stock and one cup of water and it turned out perfectly. Thank you!
Yum! Wonderful to hear, Jill 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks for writing.
Would it work to use half-and-half or 2% milk instead of the heavy cream? Love all your recipes! So does the family💯😊
I think half and half will work great.
Thank you, Lisa 🙂 🙂 🙂
This recipe is easy and full of flavor. I did use some leftover chicken stock along with water. My husband and I loved this tomato soup. Who needs canned soup unless you’re pressed for time. I’ll be sharing this recipe with friends and family.
This was so delicious – it had me swooning! So simple and easy to make! I’m gonna double the batch next time. Thank you so much for this deliciousness!
Great to hear, Lisa! I almost always make a double batch now, too. Thanks so much for writing 🙂 🙂 🙂