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tomato soup — Mediterranean Diet Hub

tomato soup

Tomato soup with ripe tomatoes, ready in under 30 minutes. Creamy, comforting, and pairs perfectly with crusty bread for lunch or a quick dinner.
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Total Time 31 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 170
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

soup
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 800 grams ripe tomatoes or canned whole tomatoes peeled, chopped if whole
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 0.5 teaspoon salt
  • 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
  • 0.5 cup whole milk or plant milk optional, for creaminess

Method
 

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the chopped onion. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion turns translucent but not brown.
  2. Add the minced garlic. Cook for just 1 minute so it smells fragrant but doesn’t brown. (If it browns, the garlic will taste bitter)
  3. Add the tomatoes (with any juice), tomato paste, vegetable broth, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Stir well. If your tomatoes are canned and whole, break them up with a spoon right in the pot. Bring to a simmer.
  4. Once simmering, set the heat at medium-low. Cook for 18–20 minutes with the lid half on (this keeps the soup from splashing but still lets it thicken). Stir a couple of times so nothing sticks.
  5. Take the pot off the heat. Use an immersion blender directly in the pot or transfer soup (in batches) to a blender. Blend until smooth. I always taste before adding milk — you might like the sharper tomato flavor as is.
  6. Stir in the milk or plant milk if you want extra creaminess. Warm gently for just 1–2 minutes on low heat (don’t let it boil after adding milk).
  7. Taste again. If needed, add a pinch more salt. Serve hot, with bread on the side or just as is.

Notes

I make tomato soup at least once a month, usually on a work night when I want something fast but still warming. There’s no fancy technique here, just honest ingredients doing their thing.

Tips that make a difference

Use ripe tomatoes if you have them – even sad, wrinkly ones from the back of your fridge work great. If it’s winter or you’re short on time, canned whole tomatoes give you a soup with extra body and you don’t need to peel anything.
Always sauté the onions until totally soft before adding garlic and tomatoes. If the onion is undercooked, the soup tastes sharp instead of mellow. I add half the salt upfront and more at the end (some tomatoes are saltier than others).
An immersion blender lets you puree the soup right in the pot, but if you’re using a countertop blender: vent the lid and cover with a towel so you don’t end up with soup on the ceiling.

Swaps and tweaks

You don’t need cream to get silkiness. I usually add oat milk because my husband can’t have dairy, but just as often I skip it – the soup is still rich from the olive oil. Coconut milk changes the flavor a lot, and honestly, I don’t love it here.
If you want extra protein, stir in a can of drained white beans and puree those with the soup. You won’t even taste them, but it keeps you full longer.

Leftovers and storage

This soup keeps in the fridge for three days and reheats well. The flavor actually deepens a little overnight. If freezing, I leave out the milk and add it only after reheating so the texture doesn’t get weird.