North American Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. 
Serving Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Tomato Soup
Crushed tomatoes simmered with onion, garlic, and basil, finished with butter and a splash of heavy cream for a smooth, comforting soup.
Contains common allergens
In the app, Listahan checks these against your household automatically.
Good to know
- One-pot
- Ready in under 30 minutes
Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: one-pot dinners30-minute meals
Instructions
6 steps- 1
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- 2
Add the chopped onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute until fragrant.
- 3
Pour in the crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth. Stir in the dried basil, salt, and pepper.
- 4
Bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
- 5
Remove the pot from the heat. Carefully use an immersion blender (or transfer in batches to a stand blender) to purée the soup until it reaches your desired smoothness.
- 6
Stir in the heavy cream and gently warm the soup over low heat for 2 minutes (do not boil). Serve hot, ideally with a grilled cheese sandwich for dipping.
Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Listahan Family Score™
72/100
Good fit for most families
Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.
Nutrition
per serving205
Calories
3 g
Protein
6 g
Carbs
20 g
Fat
Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.
Listahan cooking guide
Chef notes & practical guide
Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.
Cultural context
Tomato soup has been part of American cooking since the 19th century, but it became a cultural touchstone with the wide adoption of canned tomatoes and, most famously, the red-and-white Campbell's can that Andy Warhol immortalized in 1962. The homemade version most cooks make today is a reaction to that industrial baseline: using whole canned or fresh tomatoes, real aromatics, and cream to build something richer and more complex. The grilled cheese sandwich as its paired companion is an American lunch institution so established that the two are now genuinely inseparable in the popular imagination.
Listahan note
This version builds flavor in two layers, first by softening the aromatics in butter and oil, then by pureeing the tomatoes into them so the soup finishes smooth and velvety with cream added at the very end to preserve its freshness.
Technique cues
- Crushing the tomatoes with your hands into the pot releases their juice immediately and gives the soup a more varied texture before blending than pouring from the can intact.
- Blend the soup in batches if using a countertop blender, and never fill the blender more than halfway with hot liquid; an immersion blender directly in the pot eliminates this risk entirely.
- Add the cream off the heat after pureeing so it does not curdle; high heat causes dairy in acidic tomato soup to separate, while gentle warming preserves the smooth, silky finish.
Kitchen flow
- Parallel prep
- Prep and toast grilled cheese sandwiches while the soup simmers so both are ready at the same time.
- Make-ahead
- Make the soup base without the cream up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate; stir in cream when reheating to serve.
- Leftover move
- Use leftover tomato soup as a pasta sauce by simmering it uncovered until thickened and tossing with cooked rigatoni and Parmesan.
- Cleanup rhythm
- One pot from start to finish if using an immersion blender; wipe down the immersion blender immediately after use before the tomato stains dry.
Ingredient brief
Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.
crushed tomatoes
Main body
Purpose: Canned crushed tomatoes provide a concentrated, year-round consistent base that fresh tomatoes outside peak season cannot match.
Handling: Add directly from the can; do not drain the liquid, which carries flavor and helps determine the final soup consistency.
Adaptation: Two pounds of fresh ripe summer tomatoes, roasted at 400 degrees until caramelized, produce a deeper, sweeter soup when in season.
heavy cream
Richness and finish
Purpose: Cream rounds out the acidity of the tomatoes and transforms the texture from a thin puree into a velvety, restaurant-quality soup.
Handling: Stir in after removing the pot from heat so the dairy does not curdle in the acidic tomato base.
Adaptation: Canned full-fat coconut cream adds richness and a very faint sweetness for a dairy-free version; half-and-half works but produces a lighter result.
yellow onion
Aromatic base
Purpose: Softened onion builds a savory depth that raw tomatoes alone lack and gives the soup its savory, fully cooked character.
Handling: Cook over medium heat until genuinely soft and translucent before adding any liquid; under-cooked onion leaves a sharp note in the finished soup.
Adaptation: Shallots are milder and slightly sweeter; leeks produce a softer, more delicate flavor base.
butter
Fat base and richness
Purpose: Butter used alongside olive oil adds a dairy richness to the flavor base that helps bridge the onion softening and the finished cream soup.
Handling: Melt with the olive oil over medium heat before adding the onion so both fats are evenly distributed.
Adaptation: Use all olive oil for a dairy-free base; the flavor will be slightly less round but still savory.
dried basil
Herbal seasoning
Purpose: Basil has a natural affinity with tomato and adds a green herbal note that brightens the flavor of the finished soup.
Handling: Add with the tomatoes before simmering so the herb has time to bloom and integrate into the soup.
Adaptation: A few leaves of fresh basil stirred in after blending are more vibrant; dried oregano gives a more Italian-leaning flavor profile.
Technique notes
- Let the onion cook fully before adding the garlic; garlic added too early will brown and turn bitter while the onion still has moisture to release.
- Simmer the soup uncovered for at least 15 minutes after adding the tomatoes; this concentrates the flavor and cooks off the raw tomato sharpness that comes from opening a can.
- Taste for salt after adding the cream, not before; cream will mute the acidity and salt level slightly, and you will almost always need to adjust up after adding it.
Ingredient swaps
- Dairy-free direction
- Replace butter with olive oil and use full-fat canned coconut cream instead of heavy cream; the coconut flavor is very subtle in a well-seasoned tomato soup.
- Lower-fat direction
- Replace heavy cream with whole milk or half-and-half; add it in a thin stream off the heat while stirring to prevent separation.
Serve alongside
- Grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough with sharp cheddar
- Buttery garlic croutons
- Simple romaine salad with Caesar dressing
- Hot black tea with milk
- Dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc
- Sparkling water with lemon
Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.
Storage & reheating
- Refrigerate without cream in a sealed container for up to 4 days; add cream when reheating to preserve freshness.
- Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring frequently; add a splash of broth if the soup has thickened too much.
- Freeze the base without cream for up to 3 months; thaw overnight, reheat, and stir in fresh cream before serving.
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven
- Immersion blender for blending directly in the pot
- Ladle for serving
- Fine mesh strainer for an extra-smooth finish
Make this household-aware
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Plan it in Listahan
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