Tomato Bisque is a smooth, creamy tomato soup: canned whole tomatoes simmered with onion, carrot, celery, garlic and dried basil, blended until silky and finished with a little heavy cream. It is ready in 30 minutes, serves 6, and comes with crisp sourdough croutons for the top.
How to make it: Soften the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in butter and olive oil, add the tomatoes, water and seasonings, and simmer 15 minutes. Take the pot off the heat, stir in the cream, blend until smooth and season to taste. Bake the croutons while the soup simmers.
Why You’ll Love It
- 30 minutes: 10 minutes of prep and 20 on the stove.
- Pantry ingredients: a 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes does most of the work.
- Just a splash of cream: 1/4 cup makes it a bisque without hiding the tomato.
- Homemade croutons: sourdough cubes baked golden while the soup cooks.
Ingredient Notes
Whole canned tomatoes: One 28-ounce can, with the juice. Fresh tomatoes also work, but canned tomatoes skip the extra work; San Marzano tomatoes are a good pick.
Onion, carrot, celery and garlic: Dice the vegetables small so they soften in about 5 minutes and blend smoothly. Peel the carrot if you like.
Butter and olive oil: A tablespoon of each to cook the vegetables.
Seasonings: Kosher salt, black pepper, a pinch of crushed red pepper and a teaspoon of dried basil.
Heavy cream: Just 1/4 cup. Add more to taste if you want the soup richer and more velvety.
Sourdough bread: Five ounces with the crust removed, cut into 1-inch cubes and tossed with 2 tablespoons of olive oil for the croutons.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced small
- 1 large carrot, diced small, peeled if you like
- 1 large rib celery, diced small
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, with the juice
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 5 ounces sourdough bread, crust removed, cut into 1-inch cubes, for croutons
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, for the croutons
How to Make Tomato Bisque
1. Cook the vegetables. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until sizzling. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Simmer. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the water, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and basil. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Make the croutons. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F. Toss the bread cubes with the olive oil, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and season with salt. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden and crisp.
4. Add the cream and blend. Take the soup off the heat and stir in the cream. Blend it in the pan with an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender with a towel held over the top instead of the lid.
5. Season and serve. Return the soup to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and reheat to a simmer if needed. Serve hot, topped with the croutons.
Tomato Soup vs. Tomato Bisque, and How to Get It Silky
Tomato soup is usually made with vegetable or chicken stock. A tomato bisque adds cream or whole milk, and that dairy is what makes it thicker and creamier: the defining trait of a bisque. The rest comes down to how you finish the pot.
Cream goes in off the heat. Take the pan off the burner, stir in the cream, then blend. The cream only needs to warm through when you bring the soup back to a simmer.
Blend safely. Blending hot soup in a blender with the lid on can blow the lid off and burn you. Never fill the blender full, and hold a folded towel over the top instead of the lid. An immersion blender in the pan avoids the problem.
Strain if you want it extra smooth. Pouring the blended soup through a strainer catches the last bits of celery, onion and tomato. It’s optional; if you don’t mind a few small pieces, skip it.
Go easy on the cream. A little cream changes the texture, color and feel of the soup. Too much can take over the tomato flavor.
Season along the way. Salt lightly with the vegetables, again when the liquid goes in, and one last time after you taste the finished soup.
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Too thick | Stir in more stock, milk or water |
| Too thin | Cook a roux of butter and flour with the vegetables, or simmer with the lid off so it reduces |
| Not smooth enough | Blend longer, then strain |
| Tastes flat | Taste and adjust the salt and pepper at the end |
Tips for Success
Should I thicken it with flour?
It’s optional. A roux of butter and flour makes the soup thicker and more velvety. Cook 2 tablespoons of flour with the vegetables for 1 minute, stirring, before the liquid goes in. Olive oil works in place of butter, but the soup won’t be as rich.
What if I don’t have an immersion blender?
Blend the soup in batches in a regular blender. Don’t fill it full, cover the top with a towel, hold it securely, and pour the purée back into the pan.
Variations
- Five-ingredient bisque: cook 1 small onion in 3 tablespoons butter, covered, on medium-low about 7 minutes. Add 2 cans (56 ounces) of whole tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt, simmer covered about 30 minutes, blend, and stir in 2/3 cup heavy cream.
- Cheddar tomato bisque: fold shredded cheddar into the soup along with the cream, or add a little grated Parmesan or Romano.
- Broth instead of water: use 2 cups of chicken broth with a 28-ounce can of tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of flour, then finish with 1 cup heavy cream and 3 tablespoons butter for a richer, smaller pot.
- Big batch: use 8 cups of low-sodium chicken stock, 2 (28-ounce) cans of fire-roasted diced tomatoes and 6 tablespoons of tomato paste, finished with 4 tablespoons butter and 3/4 cup half and half, for a pot big enough to freeze.
- Dairy-free: use plain almond milk in place of the dairy, and skip the butter or use ghee or a vegan butter.
- A little heat: add hot sauce at the end.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate soup within 2 hours: divide a big pot into smaller, shallow containers so it cools quickly. Eat it within 3 to 4 days, or freeze it for 3 to 4 months. Keep the croutons separate so they stay crisp.
Freezing: FSIS lists cream sauce among the foods that don’t freeze well and says slow freezing can make cream separate and look curdled, so freeze the soup in small portions that freeze fast: jars with 1 inch of head space, 2-cup containers or freezer bags. Thaw it in the refrigerator or with the microwave’s defrost setting.
Reheating: warm it on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring, and bring it to a rolling boil, as FSIS advises for soups.
What to Serve With It
Tomato bisque and a grilled cheese sandwich are a classic pair; try it with pizza grilled cheese, or with crusty bread and fresh basil and Parmesan on top. For more soup nights, there’s slow cooker Amish tomato noodle soup, crab and shrimp seafood bisque, crockpot potato broccoli cheddar soup, slow cooker corn chowder and creamy baked potato soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between tomato soup and tomato bisque?
Tomato soup is usually made with vegetable or chicken stock. Tomato bisque adds cream or whole milk, which makes it thicker and creamier.
Do I have to strain tomato bisque?
No. Straining makes it extra smooth, but if you don’t mind a few small pieces, it’s fine to skip.
Can I use fresh tomatoes?
Yes, fresh tomatoes work. Canned whole tomatoes skip the extra work of peeling and chopping.
Can tomato bisque be made ahead?
Yes. Make it ahead, refrigerate it within 2 hours, and eat it within 3 to 4 days. Reheat it gently on the stove until it comes to a rolling boil.
Can you freeze tomato bisque?
Yes, for up to 3 months. Cream can separate a little after freezing, so freeze it in small portions and thaw it in the refrigerator.
Can I make it dairy-free?
Yes. Use plain almond milk in place of the cream, and skip the butter or use ghee or a vegan butter.
Final Notes
Make the croutons while the soup simmers so both are ready together. If you make this bisque, tell me in the comments what you served with it.
Tomato Bisque
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced small
- 1 large carrot diced small, peeled if you like
- 1 large rib celery diced small
- 2 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
- 28 ounce can whole tomatoes with the juice
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 5 ounces sourdough bread crust removed, cut into 1-inch cubes, for croutons
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for the croutons
Instructions
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until sizzling. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes with their juice, the water, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and basil. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F. Toss the bread cubes with the olive oil, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and season with salt. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden and crisp.
- Take the soup off the heat and stir in the cream. Blend it in the pan with an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender with a towel held over the top instead of the lid.
- Return the soup to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and reheat to a simmer if needed. Serve hot, topped with the croutons.
Notes
Nutrition
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