You’ll never buy canned soup after trying this Creamy Tomato Soup! This velvety and flavorful soup is the best way to warm up on a cold rainy day!
I grew up eating Campbells tomato soup but this Creamy Tomato Soup (a copycat of the one served at La Madeleine) has ruined that for me. Even my husband and children who don’t like soup kept raving about how good it was! You are sure to love it too!
La Madeleine Tomato Basil Soup
This homemade tomato soup is the tomato soup of your dreams! It’s so smooth, creamy, and with the help of a few ingredients, it doesn’t have that strong tomato acid taste that a lot of other homemade tomato recipes have.
Ingredients for Creamy Tomato Soup:
- Tomatoes– This recipe calls for canned whole peeled plum tomatoes (throw in all the juices as well!) but fresh will work too. Be sure to prep them by peeling and coring.
- Onion– I love cooking with sweet onion which is especially good in this soup.
- Garlic– A must have when cooking with tomatoes!
- Tomato Juice– This can be found in a can next to the tomatoes or in bottles in the juice aisle. I like to use regular V8 tomato juice.
- Chicken stock (or vegetable)– Use stock or water with bouillon.
- Brown Sugar– This helps to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Baking Soda– Since tomatoes have a lot of acid, adding baking soda, a base, helps to neutralize the acidity.
- Heavy Whipping Cream– Makes the soup delicious and creamy. For a lower fat option, use half-and-half or fat-free half-and-half.
- Butter– Makes the soup creamy, velvety, and neutralizes the acidic tomatoes.
- Basil– Fresh basil leaves are best. They can either be pureed up in the soup or served on top and stirred in.
- Parmesan– Parmigiano Reggiano is the best quality parmesan. Use a vegetable peeler to create thin shaved pieces.
How to make Tomato Soup:
Time needed: 45 minutes.
- Sauté Onion
In a large pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Sauté 1 c. onions until translucent (7-8 minutes) and then add 2 cloves minced garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
- Simmer
Add in the tomatoes, tomato juice, and stock. Simmer for 20 minutes or until tomatoes and onions are tender enough to puree.
- Pureé
Puree in a blender or with emersion blender. Return to pot and add the brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and pepper.
- Add Cream & Butter
Add the cream and butter and warm over low heat while stirring.
- Garnish
Garnish with basil, parmesan cheese, and/or croutons and serve with a side of bread or a grilled cheese sandwich.
FAQs
A grilled cheese sandwich! I highly recommend using artisan bread like my No-Knead Bread to make the sandwich. This bread is also great with slathered with butter and toasted in a pan for dipping into the soup.
5-Minute Garlic Cheese Bread is another great easy option that both kids and adults love.
Oyster crackers or croutons are also great in this tomato soup.
San Marzano are said to be the best. They are sweet, have a strong flavor, and are less acidic. Epicurious did a taste test and actually found that RedPack (also known as RedGold) Whole Peeled Plum Tomatoes were the best.
Roma or plum tomatoes. These have fewer seeds making them ideal for long cooked soups and sauces. Varieties like cherry tomatoes are better raw or for short-cooked pasta because when cooked long, the seeds because distasteful.
Baking soda (a base) neutralizes the acid in tomatoes which prevents a soup from tasting sour. Neutralizing the acid also prevents the risk of added milk and cream from curdling from acid.
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS SOUP:
- Herb Scissors– These sharp scissors make garnishing your dishes with herbs so easy! I used this to cut the basil and look how perfect those ribbons look!
- Wolf Gourmet Blender– This blender is amazing! It is a power house that can blend anything. I love it and use it for everything from smoothies, to soups, to dressings. It is the same quality as a Vitamix or Blendtec, if not better.
- Immersion Hand Blender– This hand blender is great for sauces, soup, and also has attachments to whisk and froth.
- Garlic Press– Fresh garlic tastes best and this is the garlic press I use. I love how easy it is to use and clean.
- Peeler– This is my favorite peeler! It works great for vegetables, fruits, and parmesan cheese.
LOOKING FOR MORE CREAMY SOUP? CHECK OUT THESE:
- Thick & Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Roasted Red Pepper Cauliflower Soup
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- Creamy Potato Soup
Creamy Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter, (divided)
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled plum tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled plum tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 cups tomato juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 12 basil leaves, torn or sliced
- Parmesan, shaved
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt 2 Tbsp. butter over medium heat. Sauté 1 c. onions until translucent (7-8 minutes) and then add 2 cloves minced garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
- Add in the 28 oz. and 15 oz. cans of tomatoes (including the juices), 2 c. chicken or vegetable stock, and 2 c. tomato juice. Simmer for 20 minutes or until tomatoes and onions are tender enough to puree.
- Puree in batches in a blender or with emersion blender (add in the basil if desired or reserve for sprinkling on top). Return to pot and add the 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and fresh cracked black pepper.
- Add 1 c. cream and remaining 6 Tbsp. butter. Warm over low heat while stirring.
- Garnish with basil, parmesan cheese, and/or croutons and serve with a side of bread or a grilled cheese sandwich.
Easy, fast, and tasty … family favorite with a grilled cheese sandwich.
I’m so happy to hear your family enjoyed it! We love it with grilled cheese sandwiches too!