Homemade Tomato Soup (Made With Fresh Tomatoes)

When I have an abundance of fresh picked tomatoes from the garden, one of my favorite recipes to make is Homemade Tomato Soup. It is not only easy, but the flavor is so much better than any store bought or restaurant purchased soup.

Roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion and sweet bell pepper are the secret behind this delicious recipe. Add in a little fresh herbs, chicken stock, and heavy cream and you will have a homemade soup that has a ton of flavor and zero preservatives.

However, most people don’t think about making soup after picking or purchasing fresh tomatoes in the middle of summer. Instead, most of the focus goes to making and/or canning salsa, tomato juice, pasta sauce or pizza sauce.

Although, when you have a smaller garden, or you are left with a few extra ripe tomatoes that have been purchased or gifted to you, a fresh, ready to eat recipe works out perfectly.

This soup can be enjoyed right away or refrigerated for a great weeknight meal during a busy week. Or it can be frozen for a taste of freshness in the middle of winter.

Serve it with a classic grilled cheese sandwich and you have a comfort meal ready to eat whenever you need one!

What Type of Tomatoes Do I Need To Make Tomato Soup?

One of the things that I love most about this recipe is that you can use any variety of tomato that you have on hand. Unlike when you make homemade salsa or pasta sauce where paste tomatoes are preferred, any type of tomato can be turned into tomato soup.

In fact, this is a great recipe to make for those who can’t tolerate the acid in standard slicing tomatoes. Whether you are at a Farmer’s market or grocery store, you can often find a few variety of tomatoes that are considered low-acid.

Although they are most often orange or yellow in color, you get all the flavor of a red tomato without the high acidity levels that may bother your stomach.

And if you find yourself with so many cherry tomatoes that you don’t know what to do with, consider adding them to this tomato soup recipe. It is a great way to use a lot of those tiny tomatoes at once.

Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe

*A printable recipe card is located at the bottom of this article which contains the specific measurements, temperatures and cook times. However, continue reading below to learn about more helpful tips about this specific recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh ripe tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1/4 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Kosher salt & ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Optional Garnish Ingredients

• grated Parmesan cheese
• fresh basil or fresh parsley
• croutons

INSTRUCTIONS

Before you can actually make your homemade tomato soup, you must determine how many tomatoes that you are going to need. However, the amount of tomatoes that you will need will depend on the variety of tomatoes that you choose.

For instance, if you are using large heirloom tomatoes, you may need only 2 tomatoes. However, if you are using smaller size tomatoes, you may need 6 or 7.

Weigh The Tomatoes

Therefore, it is best to weigh the tomatoes instead of relying on the exact number needed.

This time of the year, I leave my Kitchen Scale on my countertop. That way, when the fresh vegetables come in from the garden, I know how many I need for each specific recipe.

Once you have your tomatoes weighed and ready to go, it is time to prepare them to be turned into the most delicious soup that you have ever had.

In order to get the most flavor out of the tomatoes, it is best to roast them before turning them into soup. The time spent in a high temperature oven will not only bring out the liquid trapped inside the walls of the tomatoes, but it will also bring out the natural sweetness that they hold.

However, we are not only going to roast the tomatoes to gain flavor in this homemade tomato soup recipe. We are also going to roast the garlic, onions and sweet bell peppers.

Although you could skip the roasting time altogether and make your soup in less time, I would highly recommend that you plan on taking that extra 30 minutes in this recipe and roast them before mixing everything together.

The flavor is so much better when using roasted vegetables. And because you are most likely only going to be making this recipe a few times a year, you might as well make it the best way possible!

Roast The Tomatoes & Vegetables

Start by preheating the oven to 450°F (230°C). While the oven heats up, prepare the tomatoes.

Wash the tomatoes and remove any dirt or damaged areas. Then remove the stem and core of each tomato.

Cut the tomatoes into 1-2 inch sections. For small tomatoes, you may need to only cut them in half. Although, for larger tomatoes, you may need to slice them into 8 sections.

Place the cut tomatoes, peeled garlic, diced onion, diced bell pepper on a rimmed sheet pan. Although it isn’t required, I line my baking sheet with aluminum foil, parchment paper or a silicone baking mat for easy clean up later.

Once the vegetables are on the tray, drizzle olive oil over top. Then toss so that they are evenly coated in the oil. Next, sprinkle salt, pepper and dried herbs over the top.

Place the baking sheet with the homemade tomato soup ingredients in the preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes. Be sure to toss the mixture halfway through the baking time.

Once the 30 minutes are up, remove the pan from the oven and set it aside. In a large sauce pan add the chicken broth and place it over medium-high heat.

Bring the broth to a boil. Once the liquid is at a rolling boil, add the ingredients from the sheet pan.

If there is any liquid that escaped on the sheet pan, be sure to add that into the mixture as well. Next, add fresh chopped basil and stir.

Blend The Mixture

If you like your tomato soup to be rustic with chunks of veggies scattered throughout, you could stir in a little heavy cream and serve as is.

However, most of us tend to like tomato soup to be smooth and creamy. Therefore, you must puree it by using an immersion or a high speed blender.

I find it much easier to use an immersion blender. This way you don’t have to transfer the hot mixture into a blender. Although either way will work.

However, if you do use a blender, be sure to not fill it more than half full when pureeing hot liquid. Doing so may cause too much expansion and your homemade tomato soup can end up being on your ceiling and walls.

Again, another reason to use an immersion blender. Simply place the stick into the pot and press the button.

Continue to move the immersion blender up and down and all around. You can stop when the soup has achieved the desired consistency. Finally, stir in the heavy cream until well incorporated.

Serve immediately. Add a few optional garnishes of Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, parsley and/or croutons if desired. And of course, don’t forget the grilled cheese sandwiches!

If you love tomato soup, be sure to try my Roasted Tomato Basil Soup Recipe too!

Enjoy! Mary

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