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This Easy Tomato Bisque Recipe is absolutely sinful! I’m telling you, there is nothing that will warm you faster than a bowl of this creamy tomato soup. Typically, most tomato soup recipes are one-note and plain and boring, but THIS one, oh my goodness gracious…this is anything but plain and boring. It’s fabulous. I want to bathe in it that’s how good it is. It is filled with lots of veggies, plus butter and cream for good measure, then blended to perfection! Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches or homemade crackers.
Not Your Average Tomato Bisque
I’m not sure there is a better tomato soup I love more than this Tomato Bisque. This is a recipe that I got from my mom who got it from a lady at church. She served it one night at a church event and basically made everyone fall in love with tomato bisque. It seriously has the most delicious rich tomato flavor paired with warm herbs and seasonings. You can leave yours a little chunky or feel free to keep that blender going until it’s completely smooth.
Tomato Soup vs Tomato Bisque
Technically, soup is a very general term. It can mean broth-based, cream-based, chowders, or bisques. Bisque is a kind of soup – generally creamy, very smooth, and made with some kind of shellfish or roasted/sauteed vegetables like this one. All bisques are soups but all soups are not bisques.
Ingredients Needed
Soup season is a vibe and I’m here for it! This tomato bisque soup recipe uses simple pantry staples as well as fresh veggies. Here is what you need to make this delicious soup!
- butter– used to sauté the celery, onions and carrots. Olive oil can be used instead of butter.
- celery, onion + carrots– adds tons of flavor…let’s sneak in the veggies wherever we can!
- all-purpose flour– creates a roux when added to the sautéed veggies and butter. Helps to thicken the soup.
- diced canned tomatoes– canned, peeled whole tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes are fine as well.
- white sugar– adds a little sweetness.
- dried basil + marjoram– added herb flavoring
- chicken broth/chicken stock– bone broth or vegetable broth works too
- curry powder– a mix of cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, and black pepper. Adds warmth to the soup.
- half & half– whole milk or heavy whipping cream are good substitutions.
Tomato Bisque Substitutions
One of the things I love about soups is that I can sneak a bunch of vegetables in there without anyone knowing! In this recipe, I add onions, carrots and celery. Use what you have! Here are a couple common substitute ingredient questions I get asked.
Vegetable Stock – If you want to make this soup completely vegetarian friendly, substitute chicken broth with vegetable stock.
Whole Milk – You can substitute half & half with whole milk if you’re wanting a “lighter” option or happen to have whole milk on hand.
Here are some other soups that will knock your socks off: Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles, Cream of Cauliflower Soup, Taco Soup Recipe & Broccoli Cheese Soup.
How to Make Tomato Bisque
Do not be fooled by the fancy name! Tomato Bisque is such an easy soup to make! For full details, see the printable recipe card down below. Here is what you can expect when making this recipe.
Sauté Chopped Veggies
In a large pot, melt the butter. Stir in celery, onion, and carrot and sauté over medium heat until veggies are soft, about 10-15 minutes.
Add Flour to Veggies + Remaining Ingredients (except Half & Half + Curry Powder)
Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir until well incorporated. Mix in the rest of the ingredients (tomatoes, sugar, basil, marjoram, and chicken broth), except the half & half and curry powder. Cover and simmer 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Puree the Soup
Blend soup with an immersion blender or a regular blender until it’s as velvety smooth as you want it. But be really careful! It is HOT STUFF! Pour blended soup back into the soup pot.
Pro Tip: I really like using an immersion blender. It’s so darn convenient. If you are one who does not have an immersion blender, a high powdered blender works just as well.
Stir in Half & Half, Curry Powder + Serve!
Stir in half & half and curry powder. DO NOT boil once this has been added! Serve your creamy tomato bisque hot! Top with a little fresh basil, croutons and parmesan cheese (totally optional!).
Storing Leftover Tomato Bisque
Store any leftover Tomato Bisque in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in small batches in the microwave.
FAQ About Tomato Bisque
Unfortunately, no. Soups with any cream or milk in them tend to separate when frozen, and changes the texture from smooth to grainy.
Yes! Like many soups, tomato bisque tastes even better the 2nd day! Reheat on the stovetop or in small batches in the microwave.
You can add a couple shakes of red pepper flakes to the soup while it’s simmering. You could also replace the regular diced tomatoes with fire-roasted canned tomatoes.
Sure! I would substitute the same 2 cups of coconut milk in place of the half & half. Yum!
Love Warm, Comforting Soup? Try These Family Favorite Recipes:
- Sweet Potato Curry Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Zuppa Toscana
There’s nothing better than soup on a chilly day. This Easy Tomato Bisque Recipe is comfort food to the max! The printable recipe is below! Enjoy, friends!
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Easy Tomato Bisque Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 lb butter
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1/2 cup carrot diced
- 1/3 cup flour
- 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 2 cups half & half
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in celery, onion, and carrot and sauté until veggies are soft, 10-15 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir until well incorporated. Mix in the rest of the ingredients (tomatoes, sugar, basil, marjoram, and chicken broth), except the half & half and curry powder. Cover and simmer 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Puree soup with an immersion blender or a regular blender (but be really careful! It's HOT STUFF!) until smooth. Pour blended soup back into the soup pot.
- Stir in 2 cups half & half with 1/2 teaspoon curry powder. DO NOT boil once this has been added! Serve hot!
Made this tonight with Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches. Perfect for this cold, snowy night! Definitely a keeper!
This was the best tomato bisque recipe I’ve used! I didn’t have curry powder or marjoram, but it was still delicious! My family also loved it.
Should tell people in the part put rest of ingredients in except for half and half I do step by step put everything in then went to next step to find out I should not have put in the half and half until after u simmer for 30 minutes. Put Milton low hopefully it will be alright.
Exactly what I came here to say… frustrating! Hope it still works out…
Sorry if you both missed this in the post where I said it twice –
“Add Flour to Veggies + Remaining Ingredients (except Half & Half + Curry Powder)”
“Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir. Not including the half & half and curry powder, mix in the rest of the ingredients, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally.”
I just updated the recipe card to be more clear.
I loved this version of tomato bisque, however, I put my own twist on it and added a few more ingredients that I had at home.
I added:
Thyme
Rosemary
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Fresh Basil minced not dry flakes like recipe says.
Changed half and half to heavy cream and added two fresh diced tomatoes, which all got put in the food processor to blend to a smooth consistency.
Can you freeze this after
Best tomato soup ever !!
This looks amazing. My daughter and I, she’s 11, love to eat grilled cheese and tomato soup together. I’m going to make this and cannot wait to try this with her.
Could you tell me what is 2 cups half &half
Thanks
Herman, half & half is half whole milk, half cream. You can find it in the dairy section at any grocery store.
I cannot wait to give this a try! It is the season for soup and I am in search of the perfect tomato to go with my grilled cheese.
WOW…look at the sodium content. Daily serving of sodium is about 2000 MG I heard What can I cut out that would make that less?
Can’t wait fir cold weather to make this one!
This soup is my all time favorite and I can’t thank you enough for creating this masterpiece!
I have always wanted to try making tomato soup because it is my favorite. This looks easy enough for me to try. Can’t wait! Thanks!
I have been looking for a new tomato soup recipe and this will be my first try! Love that it’s creamy! Happy 10 years blogging!
Maybe I’m . missing it, but are curry powder and the half and half missing from the ingredient list? Just want to make sure I get the right ingredients on my shopping list! Love your recipes.
[…] / Recipes / Creamed Tomato Bisque Recipe Posted on March 23, 2019 by vishay — Leave a […]
[…] tasting tomato soup in the world. I’ve made plain old tomato soup recipes in my time and this Creamed Tomato Bisque is pretty incredible too, but, friends…..I’ve made the be all end all of tomato soups. […]
[…] tasting tomato soup in the world. I’ve made plain old tomato soup recipes in my time and this Creamed Tomato Bisque is pretty incredible too, but, friends…..I’ve made the be all end all of tomato soups. […]
I made this soup a couple of weeks ago and I LOVED it! I actually left the half & half out completely because I liked it so much without. Thank you for the great recipe. I am going to be making this again soon!