Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Creamy Tomato Soup Recipe
Tomato soup with a little cream and Parmesan makes a welcoming bowl for lunch or dinner. The onions soften until golden, giving the tomatoes a savory start. Leave it a little chunky or blend smooth, then enjoy it warm with fresh basil over the top.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Original yield
- Serves 8
- Ingredients
- 11 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Cuisine
- American
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
- Dish type
- Soups · Soups & stews
A few quick notes
1. Give onions their golden stage
Cook the finely chopped onions in butter until soft and golden before adding garlic for its final fragrant minute.
2. Partly cover the simmer
After adding tomatoes and broth, bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat and simmer with the lid partially covering the pot.
3. Blend to your preference
Keep the soup chunky or blend it to your preferred smoothness before adding cream and Parmesan for the finish.
Get to know the ingredients
Tomatoes with juice
Add crushed tomatoes with their juice rather than draining them, together with stock, basil, sugar and pepper before simmering.
Cream to taste
Heavy cream is added near the end. You can use more when the tomatoes make the soup taste too sharp or sour.
Freshly grated Parmesan
Grate Parmesan for the soup and keep extra for the bowls, adding the main portion with cream after blending if chosen.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 8. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 5 steps completeMake room for Creamy Tomato Soup Recipe
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Basil over warm bowls
Taste the creamy soup for salt and pepper, turn off the heat and ladle into warm bowls with extra Parmesan and basil.
A little more help as you go
Choose a nonreactive pot
The directions use a nonreactive pot or enameled Dutch oven, beginning with butter and onions before the tomato simmer.
Blend hot soup in batches
If using a countertop blender, avoid overfilling with hot liquid and pulse initially before blending, then return the soup to the pot.
A few questions you might have
Can I leave the soup chunky?
Yes. Blending is optional; the directions allow keeping a chunky texture before the cream and Parmesan go into the soup.
What if the tomatoes taste too acidic?
You can use more cream and sugar to taste if the soup seems too sour, checking the flavor as you adjust.
When does basil go in?
The chopped basil simmers with the tomatoes and broth. Additional fresh basil is kept for sprinkling over the served bowls.
Does the Parmesan need a long simmer?
Add it with cream near the end, return the soup to a simmer and season before turning off the heat.
Can I blend in the pot?
The directions allow an immersion blender in the pot, taking the soup only as smooth as you like before the creamy finish.
Any more cooking tips?
Some crushed tomatoes can seem tangier. If the soup seems too acidic or sour, you can add more heavy cream and sugar to taste.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: natashaskitchen.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
