Tomato Soup (Restaurant Style)
This restaurant style tomato soup recipe is made from fresh tomatoes, onions, herbs, and cream, resulting in a smooth and creamy soup. The flavor is mildly tangy with a natural sweetness from ripe tomatoes. The soup is cooked from scratch using simple ingredients and aromatics. It works well as a starter or as a light meal with bread or croutons.
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 3 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter (or extra virgin olive oil )
- 2 bay leaf (or tej patta (small to medium-sized) - fresh or dried. can reduce to 1 leaf if preferred)
- 1/3 cup onions (- finely chopped)
- 1/2 tsp garlic (- finely chopped)
- 500 g (6 to 7 medium to large) grams tomatoes
- 1 cup water (or low-sodium vegetable broth)
- salt (as required)
- 1 tsp raw sugar (or white sugar, add according to taste)
- freshly crushed black pepper (- as required)
- 1/2 cup bread cubes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 light pinch salt
- 1 to 2 pinches freshly crushed black pepper
- 1 tbsp parsley (- chopped or add coriander leaves (cilantro))
- 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream (- optional)
Instructions
- 1
Heat butter until it melts in a saucepan or a pot. Keep the heat to low or medium-low.
- 2
Add bay leaves and sauté for a few seconds. Add chopped onions and garlic. Stir and sauté until onions soften for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- 3
Add chopped tomatoes and salt. Mix well.
- 4
Cover pan and simmer on a low to medium-low heat until tomatoes soften or for about 8 to 10 minutes.
- 5
There is no need to add water. But do keep an eye when the tomatoes are simmering. If the liquids dry up then add a splash of water and continue cooking.
- 6
After the tomatoes have softened, remove from the heat and cool. Remember to pick out the bay leaves (or tej patta if you have used it) and discard.
- 7
Once the tomato mixture has cooled to a point that’s safe to work with, add it to a blender jar. You can also use an immersion blender.
- 8
Blend to a smooth consistency.
- 9
You have the option of straining the puree through a strainer for an even smoother soup, but this step isn’t necessary.
- 10
If you do choose to strain the puree, move a spoon through it so that everything is strained except the seeds.
- 11
Pour the tomato puree back into the pot, and add water and sugar. Mix and stir well.
- 12
Simmer on a low heat until the soup becomes hot but not boiling.
- 13
Season with freshly crushed black pepper and stir.
- 14
Turn off the heat. Remove the pan from the stovetop and place it on your kitchen countertop.
- 15
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream depending on desired richness.
- 16
Mix well evenly. Taste a bit of the soup, and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- 17
When the tomato mixture is cooling, you can make the bread croutons. Mix together the bread cubes, olive oil, salt and freshly crushed black pepper in a baking tray. Toss to coat.
- 18
Bake in a preheated oven for about 3 to 5 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit) until bread cubes are golden and crisp. Or, you can toast the bread cubes in a skillet until golden brown on all sides.
- 19
Pour the hot tomato soup into bowls. Add the croutons directly on top of the soup, or serve on the side.
- 20
You can also garnish the tomato soup with a bit of freshly chopped parsley or coriander leaves (cilantro) or basil sprigs or mint leaves.
- 21
This soup is great served fresh, but also keeps well in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 to 2 days.