This Creamy Tomato Soup is made in 20 minutes with canned tomatoes, but no one would ever know! It’s flavored with basil, garlic and Parmesan and perfect for dunking your grilled cheese!
Looking for more easy soup recipes? Try my Easy Taco Soup recipe, my Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup or my Ramen Noodle Soup!
Table of Contents
There is just not a better comfort food combo than creamy tomato soup and a crispy, melty grilled cheese sandwich.
This Creamy Tomato Soup has been on repeat here, because it’s easy and quick enough to whip up for any meal, even with the kids running circles around you!
It’s so quick, and so delicious, that you’ll never have to settle for the can again!
What I love about this tomato soup recipe is that it can be made with canned tomatoes for the majority of the year when we don’t have fresh garden tomatoes. Made with canned tomatoes, it’s an easy and inexpensive meal that tastes just as amazing year round.
(P.S. This Tomato Tortellini Soup is another one using canned tomatoes!)
But if you’ve got a bucket of fresh tomatoes from the garden?
Even better! Throw those in for a quick summer meal.
I confess, I’m one of those people who enjoys soup year round, and some of our other favorites (if you’re one of those people, too!) are this Sausage Tortellini Soup, Chicken Gnocchi Soup, and this Crockpot Potato Soup.
Give me some crusty bread or a great dinner bun and I’ll enjoy soup for every meal of every day!
How to make easy Creamy Tomato Soup:
- We make our roux first, instead of at the end and this saves us a pot making this a ONE pot soup (yay!). First we melt the butter, add the garlic to make it fragrant, then stir in some flour. This will thicken our soup and make it incredibly creamy.
- Stir in the rest of our seasonings, then whisk in the milk until smooth. Let this simmer until thickened, whisking often so it doesn’t clump!
- Stir in all of that tomato goodness, and give it a good stir to incorporate.
- Puree with an immersion blender, in a blender meant for hot foods (not all are, so be careful!), or in a food processor. This is optional, but really makes it smooth and creamy so I recommend it!
Variations on this Creamy Tomato Soup:
- Feel free to adjust the spices and herbs to your tastes or what you have on hand — add some heat if you like, or experiment a little!
- If you don’t have fresh milk, you can easily substitute for evaporated milk or cream. If you need to make this recipe dairy free, you can substitute for non dairy milk though it will change the flavor, or you can use chicken or vegetable broth as well. It will still be creamy and delicious!
- Feel free to add in other veggies, before or after pureeing! Some cooked carrots puree really easily in tomato soup and go mostly unnoticed.
- Some pasta, rice or other cooked grains can make this soup a little heartier (though you know I’m serving mine with grilled cheese so I opt for plain and simple 😉 )
- If you need to make this recipe gluten free, you can skip the roux and opt to thicken the milk with a couple tablespoons of corn starch before adding the tomatoes.
Got leftover Tomato Soup?
Pasta: This creamy Tomato Soup also makes a great pasta sauce! You can make a double batch, and save some for serving over pasta for an easy dinner another night.
Pizza: This Tomato Soup is thick and creamy enough to be used as a pizza sauce as well!
Reinvent it: serve leftovers with cooked pasta and vegetables for a new twist on tomato soup — bonus points if what you add to the soup is also leftover from another meal!
*This post has been updated since its original posting in April 2014.
20 Minute Creamy Tomato Soup from Scratch
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp basil pesto
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup flour
- 2½ cups milk
- 798 ml can of crushed tomatoes with Italian herbs (28 oz or about 3.5 cups) or sub diced or fresh, chopped
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 1-2 tbsp sugar
- fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt butter. Add tomato paste, garlic, salt, pesto, basil and pepper and cook 1 minute. Add flour and whisk to combine.
- Whisk in the flour until no white remains.
- Add milk and whisk until combined. Cook and whisk on medium heat until thickened, stirring often.
- Add tomatoes and Parmesan, and stir until combined and heat through.
- Stir in sugar to taste and serve with fresh basil.
Nutrition Information
Want to save this recipe?
Create an account easily save your favorite content, so you never forget a recipe again.
Tried this recipe?
Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel — I love to see what you’re making!
Tag @thereciperebel
Stephanie Perez says
Hi Ashley! We love this recipe but I want to try making it with fresh tomatoes. Do you recommend Roma tomatoes? thank you so much!
Ashley Fehr says
Yes I think that would be great!
April Bernardoni says
This recipe is by far my favorite tomato soup. I’ve made it countless times and when I’ve served it to guests, they always demand the recipe. I half the amount of flour and Parmesan and use more garlic and fresh basil. It always turns out fantastic and it’s beyond easy!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks April!
Dena says
I loved the recipe (5/5 stars) before you changed it in November of 2024. I wish I had printed it off.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Dena — that’s so funny, because this recipe hasn’t changed. What I did add was the amount of tomatoes in cups, but they will make no difference when you prepare it.