Cheap and Easy Tomato Soup Recipe

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100% guaranteed, you’ll be elated you came across this super easy tomato soup recipe! It’s cheap to make, really easy to prepare and oh my life delicious! With a beautifully intricate yet intense flavour, this tomato soup is perfect for dinner parties, lunch or even make ahead midweek meals! Read on for the recipe, helpful tips and more…

I’ve made a fair few tomato soups in my time. There’s loads of variations like tomato and red pepper soup, tomato and basil, tomato and garlic soup… but sometimes, you just want a proper tomato soup. No gimmicks, no tricks, just beautiful unadulterated tomato soup.

This recipe right here is exactly that! With soup, it’s all about celebrating the main ingredient. Just like my spicy roast butternut squash soup – a few, carefully selected additional ingredients really highlight the star of the show! 

And believe me, they SING in this recipe! Taking that little extra time to reduce the soup really intensifies the flavours and brings out the absolute best in the ingredients. Trust me, make this soup and you’ll never look back!

What can I add to tomato soup to make it taste better?

There are many things known to pair well with tomatoes. Basil is an absolute classic, garlic works well too. You can even add milk or cream to increase the richness and creaminess of tomato soup.

What can you eat with tomato soup?

There are endless possibilities here! Here’s a few tasty suggestions…

1. Simple slice of bread and butter
2. Sourdough bread
3. A bacon sandwich
4. Cheese toastie
5. Warmed pita bread
6. Cheese on toast
7. Naan bread
8. Soldiers (fingers of toasted bread)

How do you tone down the acidity in tomato soup?

You could make a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water to stir through your tomato soup (bicarbonate of soda is an alkali which should counteract some of the acidity). You could also try adding something ‘fatty’ like a big dollop of butter or some cream. 

How do you thicken tomato soup?

I boost thickening by adding a little bit of flour with the butter and onions at the start of the recipe. Then I reduce the soup (simmer over a gentle heat for a period of time) to both thicken the soup and intensify the flavours.

Can you freeze homemade tomato soup?

Absolutely! First allow it to cool completely to room temperature, then decant into freezer bags/tubs and freeze. Consume within 3 months and defrost thoroughly before use.

Tomato soup ingredients

Here’s everything you need to know about the ingredients needed to make this recipe.

• Butter – I recommend unsalted so you have complete control over the salt content (and therefore the overall flavour).
• Onion – Regular yellow/white onions work perfectly but you could always experiment with different types.
• Garlic – Nice large cloves are needed here! A good garlic hit compliments the other flavours well.
• Flour – This is to thicken the soup, I use plain flour. You could use cornflour (cornstarch) for a gluten free option.
• Stock – Vegetable stock (broth) works best flavour wise here.
• Tinned Tomatoes – Use the best you can afford. The flavour difference between a 30p tin and a £1 tin can be HUGE! After all, it is the star of the show.
• Sugar – I used caster sugar but, honestly, any sugar would work here as it dissolves anyway.
• Balsamic Vinegar – The quality will naturally affect the flavour but even the cheap brands can still bring this soup to life! Don’t skip this.
• Salt & Pepper – I recommend sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper but all salts/peppers will help to bring out the flavours.

How to make tomato soup from scratch – recipe summary

There are many different recipes and techniques out there, here’s how to make my version…

1. Heat butter in a pan then add the onions and fry until translucent.
2. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 mins until fragrant.
3. Tip in flour and ‘cook out’ for 1-2 mins more.
4. Add stock, tomatoes, sugar, balsamic and seasoning and bring to the boil.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer for 35-40 mins until reduced by half.
6. Cool and blend with a stick blender.

Tomato soup recipe tips

Guess what? We’re all human and we all make mistakes! Let’s try and prevent them from happening as much as we can with some super helpful tomato soup making tips…

• You can use either chopped tomatoes or plum tomatoes. They will break down in the same way.
• Allow it to cool before blending. Hot soup flying everywhere is just dangerous and could actually make your blender explode!
• Using a stick blender makes less pots to wash but you could also use a blender/food processor.
• Use the best tinned tomatoes you can afford. I’ve made this with both cheap and expensive tomatoes and the difference in flavour was very surprising!
• Stir throughout the cooking process to ensure the soup doesn’t catch and burn on the bottom of the pan.
• Don’t skip the balsamic vinegar, it adds a big flavour hit!
• Check your seasoning throughout cooking. Salt added during cooking brings out the flavours whereas adding it after will just make it taste salty.

Other recipes you might like…

• Easy Balsamic Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
• Quick and Easy Minestrone Soup
• Easy Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup
• Spicy Roast Butternut Squash Soup
• The Best Roast Garlic & Tomato Pasta Sauce

Easy Tomato Soup – Step by Step Picture Recipe

Here is what you will need to serve 2.

(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter *
• 1 x Onion, finely diced
• 2 x Large Garlic Cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp Plain/All Purpose Flour #
• 500ml (2 Cups) Vegetable Stock
• 2 x 400g (14 oz) Tins of Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt & Peper

Essential equipment

• Large Saucepan
• Wooden Spoon or Spatula
• Stick Blender or Food Processor

*For a dairy free/vegan version, use dairy free butter

#For a gluten free option, use 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) dissolved in 2 tbsp water

Intructions

First place your saucepan over a medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the butter (2 tbsp) and allow to melt before adding the diced onion (x 1).

Stir often and continue to cook for 5 mins or so, until the onion is translucent. I like to add a little salt at this point but it’s entirely optional.

Next, add in the minced garlic (2 x large cloves) and cook, stirring continuously, for 1-2 mins until fragrant. (Meaning, you can really smell the garlic!)

Now tip in the flour and cook, stirring continuously, for 1-2 mins. It should look a little something like this…

It’s time for the rest of the ingredients! Add in the vegetable stock (500ml | 2 Cups), tinned tomatoes (2 x 400g | 14 oz tins), sugar (1 tbsp), balsamic vinegar (1 tbsp) and plenty of salt and pepper.

Give everything a very thorough stir then increase the heat to high and bring up to the boil.

Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for around 35-40 mins. Make a mental note of how high up the pan the soup is, you want it to reduce by about half. Stir every now and then, more so towards the end of the cooking time, to stop it from catching on the bottom of the pan. 

Once the time is up, your soup should have reduced by about half and the flavour should be amazingly intense as a result! That being said, have a taste and check the seasoning. If you need to, add a little more salt and pepper.

Then allow your soup to cool before blending with a stick blender. Don’t have one of those? Fear not! You can do it in a blender too. 

Once completely smooth you can bring it back up to the boil then serve alongside some crusty bread. Alternatively, you can allow it to cool completely then pour in freezer tubs/bags and freeze for another day. Make sure you consume it within 3 months and defrost thoroughly before use.

Have you made this recipe?

Have you tried this wonderfully comforting tomato soup recipe? I’d love to know if you have! Send me your pics, comments and questions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or email me at emma@kitchenmason.com.

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Cheap and Easy Tomato Soup - Printable Recipe

Yield: 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Hearty and rich with intense tomato flavour, this CRAZY comforting easy tomato soup recipe is a guaranteed household favourite!

Print

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter *
• 1 x Onion, finely diced
• 2 x Large Garlic Cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp Plain/All Purpose Flour #
• 500ml (2 Cups) Vegetable Stock
• 2 x 400g (14 oz) Tins of Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt & Peper

Essential Equipment

• Large Saucepan
• Wooden Spoon or Spatula
• Stick Blender or Food Processor

Instructions

1. Place the pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the butter.
2. When the butter has melted, add the onion and cook for 5 mins, stirring often, until translucent.
3. Add the garlic and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
4. Tip in the flour and cook, stirring continuously, for 1-2 minutes then add all the remaining ingredients.
5. Stir thoroughly then increase the heat and bring up to the boil.
6. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 35-40 minutes until the soup has reduced by half. Stir occasionally (especially towards the end of the cooking time) to prevent it catching and burning on the bottom.
7. Allow to cool before blending with a stick blender or in a food processor.
8. Bring back to the boil and serve immediately or cool completely and freeze for another day. (Defrost completely before use and consume within 3 months.)

Notes

*For a dairy free/vegan version, use dairy free butter
#For a gluten free option, use 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) dissolved in 2 tbsp water

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

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  Russell Hobbs Food Collection Hand Blender
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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 273Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 1021mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 6gSugar: 22gProtein: 6g

Nutritional information on kitchenmason.com should only be used as a general guideline, I am not a certified nutritionist. Please always check labels for allergens where applicable.

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