Dinner - Classic Tomato Soup¶

This is the best tomato soup recipe — rich, smooth, and comforting. Serve it with grilled cheese for the ultimate weeknight meal.

🥣 Course¶

Soup

American

6 servings

Ingredient	Amount (Imperial)	Amount (Metric)
Extra-virgin olive oil	3 tablespoons	45 mL
Unsalted butter	2 tablespoons	28 g
Yellow onion, chopped	1 medium	~150 g
Garlic cloves, minced	6 cloves	~18 g
Whole peeled tomatoes (canned)	2 cans (28 oz each)	2 × 794 g
Water or chicken stock	3 cups	720 mL
Granulated sugar	1 tablespoon	13 g
Ground black pepper	½ teaspoon	1 g
Salt	To taste	To taste
Heavy cream	¾ cup	180 mL
Fresh basil, chopped	For garnish	For garnish

Sauté Aromatics
In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted.
Add chopped onion and cook, stirring frequently, for ~8 minutes until softened.
Stir in garlic and cook for another 5 minutes, until fragrant and just starting to brown.
Add Tomatoes & Simmer
Add both cans of tomatoes. Swirl each can with some stock to extract all juices and add to the pot along with remaining stock.
Stir in sugar and black pepper.
Bring to a boil (~10 minutes), then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat.
Blend & Finish
Use an immersion blender to pulse the soup to your desired consistency. (Or mash with a potato masher for a chunkier texture.)
Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Stir in heavy cream.
Serve
Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh basil.
Serve hot, ideally with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Avoid high-speed blenders: Blending olive oil at high speed can cause bitterness. If using a blender, swap olive oil for all butter or use neutral oil like grapeseed.
Non-reactive cookware: Use stainless steel or enamel-coated pots to prevent metallic flavor from the tomato’s acidity.
Enhance basil flavor: Add 10 fresh basil leaves to the pot after removing from heat and blend with the immersion blender.
Lighter version: Use ½ cup heavy cream or substitute with half-and-half.
Vegan version: Use only olive oil or vegan butter, swap chicken stock with vegetable broth, and use full-fat coconut milk instead of cream.

Source: Preppy Kitchen – Tomato Soup Recipe