Fresh Tomato Soup Recipe

This tomato soup recipe with fresh tomatoes is quick, uses just a handful of pantry basics, and rewards you with a bright, garden taste you cannot get from a can.

➜ About the recipe

This recipe calls for just a few simple, fresh ingredients. The star is fresh red garden tomatoes, peeled and cut into pieces.

The soup starts with fried onions and garlic. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, pour in the vegetable stock, and season with a bay leaf, salt, and freshly ground pepper. To finish, blend the soup until smooth and enjoy it while it is still warm.

This recipe comes from the Czech Republic, where tomato soup is called rajčatová polévka (RYE-chah-to-vah PO-lehv-kah).

"Absolutely superb tasting Tomato soup. So incredibly simple but the flavour is delicious. I have never made tomato soup before but I shall be making this one again and again."

Elaine

MY TIP: If you are a soup lover, try the famous Czech garlic soup, known as česnečka!

➜ Ingredients

✅ See the recipe below with step-by-step photos and many helpful tips. Scroll down for the full printable recipe in both US cups and metric measurements.

For homemade tomato soup, you need:

• Fresh tomatoes; ripe and firm
• Oil; sunflower or rapeseed, or olive oil (the latter is widely used in Italian tomato soups)
• Yellow onion; sautéed in oil, forms the basis for the luxurious flavor of the soup
• Fresh garlic; cloves
• Vegetable broth; I use a natural broth with no added chemical flavoring agents. You can grab chicken broth for even more flavor, but I think the soup tastes rich enough with quality vegetable broth.
• Seasonings: bay leaf, freshly ground black pepper, and salt

For garnishing when serving:

• Fresh basil leaves; or basil pesto - I just had some open at home, so I used it
• Sour cream; about a tablespoon per bowl, or thicker white yogurt - for a creamy texture
• Cheese cubes; for example, Camembert (cheese is optional)

➜ How to make tomato soup with fresh tomatoes (step by step)

STEP 1: First, peel the tomato skins. Wash them, and remove the green stems. Cut them shallowly crosswise with a knife. Put them in boiling water and let them cook for a minute under the lid, but no longer.

Then drain the water and pour ice-cold water over the tomatoes to cool them and stop the cooking process. Remove the skin with a knife and cut the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Put them aside in a bowl.

STEP 2: Peel the onion and chop it finely. Peel the garlic and chop the cloves into slices. In a soup pot (I use my favorite cast iron Dutch oven), heat the oil over medium-high heat. Fry the onion in the oil until golden brown, add the garlic towards the end, and let its aroma develop.

TIP: If you fried the garlic in oil from the beginning, it would burn and turn bitter.

STEP 3: Add the bay leaf and chopped peeled tomatoes to the onion base. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on the stove for 15 minutes without a lid to evaporate some of the liquid.

STEP 4: Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and let it bubble for another 20 minutes.

STEP 5: Remove the bay leaf from the tomato soup and puree it using an immersion stick blender. If necessary, season with salt or pepper.

Extra tip: If you feel the soup is tart for your taste, add a pinch of sugar to a bowl of soup and stir.

➜ Serving

Tomato soup tastes best served fresh and warm. Top each bowl with a spoonful of sour cream or plain yogurt. You can also add a few fresh basil leaves. Basil and tomatoes are a classic pairing in Italy.

TIP: Instead of basil, add a teaspoon or two of basil pesto to the soup.

Tomato soup pairs well with crusty bread or toast. I topped my toast with grilled cheese. You can also cut the cheese into small pieces and stir them into the hot soup, where they will melt just before serving.

➜ How to store tomato soup

If you have any soup left over, let it cool completely and store it in the fridge, where it will keep for four to five days.

➜ Do I have to peel the tomatoes first?

The short answer is yes. The tough skins can spoil the smooth, velvety texture of the soup. However, because this soup is blended at the end, you can skip peeling if you want to save time.

➜ Useful tips

• Use ripe tomatoes. Orange, underripe ones are harder to peel, and they do not deliver the full summer flavor of red tomatoes.
• The tomatoes thicken the soup naturally, giving it a lightly creamy body. The soup is also gluten-free, which makes it safe for anyone who avoids gluten, including people with celiac disease.
• The texture stays the same the next day. It does not stiffen the way a soup thickened with roux or flour would.

More tasty soups:

• Czech zelnacka sauerkraut soup
• Easy goulash soup
• Split pea soup with bacon
• Tomato and cheese salad

📖 Recipe