Description
This Middle-of-Winter Creamy Tomato Soup is a comforting, rich, and flavorful dish made with canned crushed tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a creamy finish. Perfect for chilly days, it combines sautéed aromatics, slow simmering, and blending for a smooth and luscious texture, making it an easy yet elegant meal to enjoy with crusty bread or grilled cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- Optional: up to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves and tender stems
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or generous pinch dried thyme)
- One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable stock or broth
- Optional: ½ cup dry, unoaked white wine
- 2 cups heavy cream, milk, or unsweetened plant milk of choice (almond, oat milk, etc.)
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Cook the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over medium heat. Add the diced onion and carrots, seasoning with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Cook while stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes until the vegetables soften. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, and crushed red pepper flakes (if using). Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes until the tomato paste browns and garlic is fragrant.
- Build and simmer: Add fresh basil, thyme, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, and white wine (if using) to the pot. Stir well to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot and let simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are very tender.
- Blend: Carefully transfer the soup to a stand blender in batches, filling no more than two-thirds full. Remove the blender’s lid center cap and cover the hole with a kitchen towel to safely blend. Blend until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, use an immersion blender directly in the pot until smooth. Return blended soup to the pot.
- Finish the creamy tomato soup: Stir in the heavy cream, milk, or plant milk of choice. Warm the soup over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until heated through. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve: Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cracked black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and fresh basil leaves if desired. Serve alongside crusty bread or a Gooey Mozzarella Grilled Cheese Sandwich for a hearty meal. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute heavy cream with any unsweetened plant-based milk to make it dairy-free.
- For extra depth, use dry, unoaked white wine, but this is optional.
- Soup keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and freezes beautifully for up to 2 months.
- When blending hot liquids, always vent the blender lid by covering the hole with a towel to avoid steam burns.
- Adjust red pepper flakes to taste for desired spiciness.
- The soup pairs excellently with crusty bread or grilled cheese sandwiches for a complete meal.
Keywords: creamy tomato soup, comfort soup, winter soup, easy tomato soup, stovetop soup, vegetarian tomato soup, homemade tomato soup, canned tomato recipe