Simply Delicious Tomato Soup

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Makes:

about 8 cups (2 L), serves 16

Prep Time:

15 minutes

Cook Time:

25 minutes

Category:

Lunch | Soups

Pair with: Anna’s Ultimate Grilled Cheese

Introduction

About this Recipe

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Excerpted from Anna Cooks: 125+ Delicious & Achievable Recipes for Every Meal of the Day, by Anna Olson. Copyright © 2025 Olson Food Concepts Inc. Photography by Janis Nicolay. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited.

Tomato soup is to soup what the chocolate chip cookie is to cookies. It is a cornerstone of comfort food, easy to make for a novice cook yet just as fulfilling to make as an expert. I like a tomato soup that has a subtle hint of basil (but not too much), and I am a member of “team cream,” appreciating that a little addition of cream takes the edge off the acidity of tomatoes and gives the soup a soupçon of decadence.

NOTES: The soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months

Ingredients

Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
Dollop of butter
1 medium onion, roughly diced
2 medium carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz/796 mL) tin whole, peeled tomatoes

3 cups (750 mL) chicken or vegetable stock
2 to 3 stems fresh basil stems (use leaves for a chiffonade or pesto garnish)
Pinch of chili flakes or cayenne pepper
½ cup (125 mL) whipping cream
Salt and black pepper
Grated Cheddar cheese, for garnish

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. Add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring often, until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Step 2

Pour in the tomatoes and stock and toss in the basil stems and chili flakes or cayenne. Cover the pot and bring the soup to a simmer. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes, until the carrots are tender.

Step 3

Remove the basil stems and discard. Purée the soup using an immersion or regular blender (in batches, if needed) and return the pot to medium heat. Stir in the cream and season to taste.

Serve topped with a chiffonade of basil leaves, pesto or grated Cheddar cheese.