Servings
Font
Back
Best Tomato Soup
5 from 15 votes

Best Tomato Soup

Best Tomato Soup is a creamy, smooth soup combining caramelized onions, garlic, San Marzano tomatoes, and chicken broth with fresh basil and Parmesan rind for depth. It is gently simmered and blended until velvety, balancing sweetness, acidity, and a subtle herbaceous note. The soup is flexible as an appetizer or light meal, and can be finished with a swirl of cream for added richness.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian, American

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter cut into 5 pieces
  • 3 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 medium)
  • 2 Tbsp minced garlic (6 cloves)
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups chicken broth low-sodium
  • 2 (28 oz) cans San Marzano Tomatoes
  • 3 basil 13g), plus more chopped basil for serving if desired, sprigs
  • 1 (4-inch) parmesan rind
  • 2 tsp granulated sugar or to taste
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • heavy cream for serving (optional

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Melt butter in a large pot (6 quart) over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until slighlty browned and caramelized, about 10 minutes.
  2. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
  3. While whisking slowly pour in chicken broth. Cook and whisk until flour has blended in, about 1 minute.
  4. Add in tomatoes, basil, parmesan, sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a light simmer.
  5. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer, stirring occasionally (Scrape along bottom of pot when stirring). Cook about 25 - 30 minutes until tomatoes start to break down.
  6. Remove from heat. Remove basil sprigs and parmesan rind from soup then use an immersion blender to puree soup until smooth***.
  7. Serve warm topping servings with swirl of cream if desired and chopped basil.

Notes

  • Honey can be used instead of sugar to adjust the soup's sweetness; increase or omit based on preference.
  • Use either an immersion blender or a countertop blender to puree the soup; if using a blender, cool the soup slightly and blend in small batches to avoid steam buildup.
  • Adding heavy cream or half-and-half at serving time provides additional richness but is optional and excluded from nutrition estimates.
  • For a thinner soup, add extra chicken broth as needed after blending.