Julie Clark
Updated:
Tomato Bisque Soup
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Thick and creamy tomato bisque soup is the perfect weekend lunch recipe with a side of garlic bread or buttery grilled cheese sandwiches.
Autumn weather calls for warm soup and delicious homemade bread recipes. We love including at least one soup night on our weekly menu where we rotate some of our favorite soups, like our roasted vegetable minestrone soup or our Mexican soup with rice.
Heavy and hearty slow cooker soups are a comfort, but sometimes you need a smooth and creamy soup that is perfect for dipping in warm breads, like this tomato bisque recipe!
Tomato Soup vs Tomato Bisque
If you’re wondering what the difference is between tomato soup and tomato bisque, it is texture and one ingredient.
Tomato soup’s broth is thin where tomato bisque’s broth is thick and creamy, thanks to adding cream.
Tomato bisque is pureed. Tomato soup can also be pureed, but tomato bisque soup is thickened by creating a roux with heavy cream and flour. The roux thickens the tomato soup and transforms it into a hearty, yet smooth tomato bisque.
Ingredients in Tomato Bisque Soup
- Fresh parsley, fresh thyme, fresh basil. Fresh herbs make this soup stand out from the rest.
- Crushed canned tomatoes. This makes it easy and convenient, but you’re welcome to use fresh tomatoes. Either way, you’ll end up with rich tomato flavor, especially if you look for San Marzano tomatoes.
- Chicken broth. Vegetable broth is a great alternative.
- Sugar. To help balance the acidity.
- Butter, flour and heavy cream. These all three combine together in a homemade roux that will thicken your tomato bisque into the perfect comfort food.
Naturally, the fresher the ingredients the better the results. But nature has a way of making fresh produce hard to come by during the cooler months. Feel free to substitute the fresh herbs with dried herbs in this tomato bisque soup recipe.
How To Make Tomato Bisque Soup
- Warm oil over medium high heat in a pot. Add in salt, thyme, garlic, parsley and basil. Let it cook for a minute before adding the remaining soup ingredients. Be sure not to burn the garlic. Burnt garlic will make your tomato soup taste bitter, we don’t want that!
- Lower heat to medium once soup begins to simmer. Let it cook for half an hour before removing the thyme and garlic. Just like homemade spaghetti sauce, the longer you let your tomato soup simmer the stronger the flavor of the soup.
- Lower heat to low and once soup begins to cool, gently blend with a hand immersion blender until the soup is creamy and has thickened.
- To make the roux, melt butter over medium high heat in a small pan. Once butter melts, add flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once flour cooks, slowly whisk in milk, and keep adding heavy cream until the roux is creamy and soft, like Greek yogurt.
- Gently pour in the roux mix to the tomato bisque, and whisk until tomato bisque thickens.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and black pepper, if desired. Top with fresh herbs, parmesan cheese or croutons.
Can you make tomato bisque in a slow cooker?
Using a slow cooker to make tomato bisque soup is a great way to allow the flavors of the herbs to truly infuse into the tomato sauce to create a deep depth of flavor.
Also, using a slow cooker is a great way to make tomato soup for large crowds, such as for a potluck or Thanksgiving. Just double or triple this homemade tomato bisque recipe for a crowd!
- To make tomato bisque soup in a slow cooker, add in all of the ingredients (except for roux ingredients), and cook low for 4-6 hours.
- Once your tomato soup has warmed through and cooked the desired length of time, remove the garlic and thyme.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the tomato soup.
- In a small pan, make the roux and blend it into the tomato soup in the slow cooker. Taste and add seasonings as desired.
Topping Ideas For Tomato Soup
The smooth texture of creamy tomato soup makes adding crunchy toppings a fun and creative option for your guests.
Here are some topping ideas:
- Crumbled Bacon
- Shredded Cheese (Mozzarella or grated Parmesan are great choices!)
- Garlic Croutons
- Basil or Parsley
- Sour Cream (Not crunchy, but it is great!)
- Bruschetta
Storage Instructions
This recipe makes just 4 small bowls of soup, so there may not be much leftover. If you do have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Do not freeze this soup.
More Creamy Soup Recipes
- Potato Leek Soup
- Baked Potato Soup
- Pumpkin Apple Carrot Soup
- Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Lobster Bisque
You may also love our Italian vegetable soup and chicken and sausage gumbo.
Tomato Bisque Soup
Thick and creamy tomato bisque soup is the perfect weekend lunch recipe with a side of garlic bread or buttery grilled cheese!
Servings 4
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
For the soup:
For the roux:
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream (or as much as needed)
Instructions
- Warm oil over medium high heat in a pot. Add in salt, thyme, garlic, parsley and basil. Let it cook for a minute before adding the remaining soup ingredients. 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 sprigs of thyme, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, 3 tablespoons fresh basil, 15 ounces crushed tomatoes, ½ cup chicken broth, 1 tablespoon sugar
- Lower heat to medium once soup begins to simmer. Let it cook for half an hour before removing the thyme and garlic.
- Lower heat to low and once soup begins to cool, gently blend with a hand immersion blender until the soup is creamy and has thickened.
- To make the roux, melt butter over medium high heat in a small pan. Once butter melts, add flour and cook for 2 minutes -stirring occasionally. Once flour cooks, slowly whisk in milk, and keep adding heavy cream until the roux is creamy and soft, like Greek yogurt. 1 tablespoon salted butter, 1 tablespoon all purpose flour, 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
- Gently pour in the roux mix to the tomato bisque, and whisk until tomato bisque thickens.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and black pepper, if desired. Top with fresh herbs, parmesan cheese or croutons.
Notes
- Love the flavor of onions? Dice one shallot and add it to the pot when you add the garlic and fresh thyme.
- To change the flavor, use fire-roasted tomatoes and add a dash of red pepper flakes.
- This soup is delicious served with a grilled cheese sandwich!
Nutrition
Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 860mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 650IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg
I CANNOT stop making this soup! Not only is it easy, it is incredibly delicious and flavorful. I agree with another reviewer below that I can’t go back to canned tomato soup ever again. Pairs perfectly with Grilled Cheese or Chicken Caesar Wraps. Well worth the wait!
I made the tomato bisque soup tonight. Topped it with fresh basil, bacon, fresh grated parm cheese, and a dollop of greek plain yogurt. It was amazing. I don’t think I could ever go back to feeding my family the canned tomato soup…like ever. Thank you so much. I love your recipes!!
I’m enjoying ur recipes thank u