This tomato bisque soup is perfect for a winter evening. It pairs perfectly with a grilled cheese or serve plain with croutons.

Tomato bisque soup goes great with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Ingredients

Tomatoes: A necessary ingredient for tomato soup! Use peeled canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes at peek ripeness.
Cream: To add an extra layer of creaminess, add in a bit of cream. This recipe calls for a full cup of cream, but you can add as much or as little cream as you’d like. I’ve made this bisque with and without the cream – and personally I prefer the soup without the cream.
Broth: Use a low-sodium broth to deglaze the pan as needed. Have the box of veggie broth nearby at an arms reach in case more is needed.
Herbs: My favorite herbs for this soup is thyme! A classic herb for tomato soup is also basil, which can absolutely be added as well when you add the thyme.

How to Make Tomato Bisque Soup:

Making this tomato bisque soup is an easy rainy day activity.

Make your aromatic base first by cooking down the onion and celery in a bit of neutral cooking oil. Once the vegetables have cooked down, add in your garlic and thyme. Deglaze your pot with a bit of broth as needed. When your aromatics are fragrant, add in the entire contents of the canned tomatoes and allow the entire stockpot to come to a boil.

Cook down the onions and celery. Then add in the thyme and garlic.

Use your immersion blender or a regular blender to blend the soup together.

After blending, taste your soup and decide if you want to add the cream or more broth. You might decide that you don’t need any other ingredients.

Serve your soup. Add a garnish of parsley if desired or a bit of sour cream. Serve with a freshly-made gourmet grilled cheese sandwich or even make a copycat Disneyland grilled cheese. You can also serve the soup solo.

Common Questions about Tomato Bisque

What tomatoes are best for this soup?

Any type of ripe tomatoes are best for this soup.

Since canned tomatoes are canned at peak ripeness, you will always have ripe tomatoes (without skins) when you open a can of tomatoes. I prefer to use whole canned tomatoes since there are generally less preservatives than the diced canned tomatoes.

If you have a tomato harvest or can’t resist those perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes that are on sale at the store, go ahead and pick some up. If you are using fresh tomatoes, make sure you blanch them first to take off the skins before blending the soup together.

Can I make this a vegan dish?

Yes! This can easily be turned into a vegan tomato bisque. Instead of adding cream, add a nut-based milk instead, such as cashew milk or even almond milk. A high fat nut milk will replace the cream and you won’t even notice you’ve made it vegan! Another way to make this bisque vegan is to fully omit the cream.

When should I blend it?

Blend the tomatoes, celery and onion together. After the soup boils, allow it to cool slightly. If you have an immersion blender, go ahead and use that, but if you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a regular blender. Just blend your soup in batches. If you are using a regular blender, allow the soup to cool until you’re able to put your finger in it comfortably. When putting boiling soup, or very hot soup, in a blender, there’s a possibility for it to explode. The heat will expand the blender and try to pop off the top of the blender.