Enjoy fast prep and rich homemade flavor with this easy tomato soup with canned tomatoes. Ready to go year-round (weeknights included!), this recipe includes whole, peeled tomatoes, basil, Parmesan, and a touch of cream for crave-worthy convenience without sacrificing taste. With straight-forward steps and a quick simmer time, it can be on the table in 45 minutes.
Like a surprisingly helpful broken record, I'm back with another option for your weeknight dinner menu: an extra flavorful, perfectly thickened, and slightly creamy tomato soup made with canned tomatoes.
Just like our beloved sausage tortellini soup with spinach, this is a soup recipe that's actually appropriate for weeknight cooking. Ready in 45-ish minutes, there's minimal chopping and prep work and the dish count isn't very steep. Because I really don't care if a dish takes no time to make if I have to hand wash a whole bunch of stuff afterwards. Not very Tuesday night friendly if you ask me!
Setting aside the quickness factor, I also love that this easy tomato soup doesn't rely on sourcing fresh tomatoes. Two cans of whole peeled tomatoes + tomato paste conveniently provide all the tomato flavor you need, year-round.
The 4-1-1: What Makes This Tomato Soup So Good
- Caramelizing the tomato paste. This adds depth to the flavor and eliminates any tinny taste you might have experienced when it comes to canned tomato paste.
- Intentionally adding sweetness. I'll buy a sweet onion (like Vidalia) for this one, especially because it's a tomato soup using canned tomatoes, not fresh ones with peak-summer farmer's market freshness. A little sweetness contrasts with the bolder savory flavors nicely. Depending on how a particular batch tastes, I'll often add a small sprinkle of granulated sugar at the end, too (taste and see).
- Including basil + a little cream. Two ingredients that I think are non-negotiable in a good tomato soup. The fresh herb flavor and extra richness of cream are very welcome to elevate even good-quality canned tomatoes.
- Hitting it with Parm at the end. This weeknight tomato soup simmers quickly, so adding a Parmesan rind, as is my go-to in minestrone soup, won't have as much of an impact. Melting in finely-grated Parmesan just prior to blending provides that umami flavor instead.
- What you serve it with. Serve this easy tomato soup with an air fryer grilled cheese for the ultimate comfort food pairing.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Sweet onion: You'll see these labeled just as "sweet onions" at the supermarket, but seasonally you might find specific varieties like Vidalia or Walla Walla available. All are good to use.
- Canned whole peeled tomatoes: Crack two cans open and pour them in the pot - does it get easier than that? Some brands are thinner while others have thicker liquid along with the whole tomatoes. Any are fine (you can find examples of two different brands in the photo above).
- Vegetable or chicken broth/stock: I've used both in this soup and either are great. I always will do a lower-sodium chicken broth variety (bouillon paste seen here), but for a good-quality vegetable broth, I've really been liking this super convenient vegetarian (no-chicken) bouillon base (paid link). Just keep in mind that this one doesn't come in lower-sodium, so taste before salting at the end.
- Tomato paste: The kind I often use says double-concentrated. I find it has nice robust flavor but it isn't like double as strong in taste that I can perceive. IMO if what you have is just regular tomato paste (not listed as double), the same amount is fine. I would not add twice as much. This is such a tomato-heavy recipe the regular amount will be just fine.
- Basil: Slicing fresh basil chiffonade-style in thin strips and then roughly chopping them crosswise is an efficient way to break down basil leaves.
- Heavy cream: Four ounces to add body and a hint of richer flavor without overtaking the tomato or becoming a cream of tomato soup. If you're outside the U.S., heavy cream has a fat percentage between 36-40%. Don't use a lower-fat dairy option as that can lead to separation/curdling.
- Parmesan: Umami, salty, and a great companion to tomato + basil. Grate this finely so it melts into the soup quickly.
#1 tip
Go Easy on the Salt (at First)
I prefer to come in a little under on the added salt at first (there's just ½ teaspoon of kosher salt in with the onions) then season to taste at the end. Besides the fact that the later-added Parm is salty, different brands of whole peeled tomatoes have wildly different sodium content. I've seen anywhere from 35 to 240 milligrams per ½-cup serving for the same product, just between brands. That difference is even more pronounced when scaling up to use two 28-ounce cans. It's better to add more later than have to mitigate an overly-salty tomato soup.
How to Make Tomato Soup with Canned Tomatoes
Cook the onion, tomato paste, and garlic.
Soften the onion in a blend of butter and olive oil (go lower and slower so it doesn't brown). Then season with salt and stir in the tomato paste and cook for 4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Add the broth and tomatoes.
Pour in the broth and the two cans of tomatoes - juices included. Give everything a stir to combine.
Simmer.
Simmer for 10 minutes before adding the basil, then simmer for 2 or so minutes more. Waiting to add the basil preserves its flavor. Remove the pot from the heat.
Blend and finish.
Stir in the Parmesan until melted, then carefully immersion blend until smooth. Stir in the cream, then taste before serving. See if you'd like more salt, a pinch of sugar, black pepper, etc.
Convenient tip
Fresh Basil Flavor, Year-Round
I know the thought of substituting dried basil for fresh can send people into a tailspin. And usually I agree! Fresh basil is unique and the clear star of the show in things like basil pesto sauce. No substitutes. However, if it's out of season and the fresh packages at the store are shangad (hearing my mother's voice saying this), I really don't mind using the lightly-dried chopped basil found in little cups in the refrigerated produce department for a recipe like tomato soup, where basil is a supporting flavor.
I've tested it in this recipe (following the half-substitution amount on the package, so two tablespoons), and found it very comparable to using fresh basil. *Regular spice aisle dried basil is not the same thing and really lacks in flavor, so I wouldn't substitute that.*
Did you enjoy this recipe? I’d love for you to leave a star rating and a comment review in the recipe card below!
Weeknight Tomato Soup with Canned Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ¾ cups diced sweet onion (about 1 large onion)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 5 cloves garlic finely minced or pressed
- 2 28-ounce cans of whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- ¼ cup fresh basil chiffonade (about 13-15 large leaves), roughly chopped crosswise
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅔ cup finely-shredded Parmesan
- ½ - 1 teaspoon granulated sugar or to taste, optional
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add butter and olive oil to a pot set over medium-low heat. Swirl the butter around the pot as it melts, and once melted and heated, add the onion. Cook the onion for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust the heat as needed to prevent the onion from browning - softening is the goal.
- Season the onion with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and add the tomato paste. Stir the tomato paste and work it into the onion and cook for 4 minutes . Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- If any browned bits are stuck to the bottom of the pot deglaze with a little bit of the broth to scrape them up (there may not be). Pour the cans of whole tomatoes into the pot along with the broth. Stir to combine and partially cover the pot, leaving it open with as large of a crack as you can to allow steam to escape while preventing splatter. Raise the heat to bring the soup to a simmer.
- Once simmering, simmer for 10 minutes, then add the basil. Simmer for 2 minutes more, then remove the pot from the heat. Slowly sprinkle the Parmesan into the pot while stirring to prevent clumping until melted in.
- Carefully use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Slowly stir the cream into the soup.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. You may or may not want to add sugar (I will usually do around ¾ teaspoon at this time), extra salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve garnished with more fresh basil.
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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