To keep our tomato soup a one-pot operation (and avoid splattering scalding hot liquid), we purée the mixture with an immersion blender, which gets the job done. For an extra-smooth texture, though, feel free to use a regular blender. Want to keep it vegan? (Well, the soup, that is.) Omit the sour cream and drizzle with a couple of extra tablespoons of olive oil at the end.
All products featured on Bon Appétit are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through the retail links below, we earn an affiliate commission.
What you’ll need
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Vegetable Peeler
$12 $10 At Amazon
Colander
$11 At Amazon
Large Bowl
$18 At Amazon
Large Pot
$55 $48 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Box Grater
$12 At Amazon
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$32 At Amazon
Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil
$12 At Target
Ladle
$8 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
6
2
2
1
5
1
4
1
2
¼
4
Preparation
Step 1
Cut 1 garlic clove in half and set aside. Smash remaining 5 garlic cloves and peel. Peel 2 onions and coarsely chop. Peel 2 carrots and coarsely chop. Open and drain 28-oz. can tomatoes into a colander set over a large bowl to catch juices.
Step 2
Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add garlic, onion, and carrots; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent and just starting to brown around the edges, 8–10 minutes.
Step 3
Add 1 tsp. paprika and stir to coat vegetables. Cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add whole tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes start to burst and break down, 10–15 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile, grate 4 oz. cheddar cheese on the large holes of a box grater.
Step 5
Add 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, and 1 cup water to pot and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook 8–10 minutes, just to help flavors meld.
Step 6
Remove from heat and purée soup with an immersion blender until smooth.
Step 7
Stir about ¼ cup hot soup into ¼ cup sour cream in a small bowl, then stir back into soup (for a creamier soup, feel free to add more). Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Don’t let soup come back to a boil at this point or sour cream may split.
Step 8
Place a rack in top position of oven; heat broiler. Place 4 slices bread on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and drizzle both sides with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil.
Step 9
Broil bread until one side is golden and toasted, then remove from oven and turn slices. Broil until second side is golden.
Step 10
Remove from oven and rub cut sides of remaining garlic cloves over top of toasted bread.
Step 11
Arrange grated cheese over bread, dividing evenly. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbling.
Step 12
Ladle soup into bowl and top with a dollop of sour cream.
Step 13
Cut bread into soldiers and serve with soup.
Step 14
Do Ahead: Soup can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool, cover, and chill. Reheat gently over medium-low, stirring occasionally.
How would you rate Creamy Tomato Soup with Cheese Toasties?
Leave a Review
Reviews (34)
Back to TopFreezes beautifully (I keep a rotating batch of BA soups in 32oz restaurant-style containers in our freezer for soup emergencies) Toasted bread w/cheese elevates this dish (think French Onion soup with all that cheesy toasted bread loveliness) Try Trader J's cheddar gruyére combo cheese for about $5 a block (shreds easily and tastes delicious) Sour cream adds a tangy twist on this simple, comforting soup Perfect for gifting with a loaf of bread & a block of cheese
Anonymous
3/20/2024
Fantastic rustic tomato soup. Loosely followed the recipe as inspiration and cooked somewhat by intuition but in the end my wife said it was hands down the best tomato soup she’s had. The biggest deviance from the recipe was my use of a 28 ounce can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes in place of the 15 ounce can of regular crushed tomatoes and left out the extra cup of water, then blended all in regular blender. Magnificent with the cheese toasties.
The Doc.
Kailua, HI
12/13/2021
Such a good soup, I've made it a few times. To fix the grittiness I add an extra cup or so of water and simmer longer to break down the veg more before blending.
Isaac B
Indiana
12/14/2020
Turned out great! Didn't make any modifications and it was simple but still satisfying. I don't have an immersion blender, so I just did two batches in my regular blender and it worked out great.
WMM01
Texas
10/25/2020
My dad wanted tomato soup and grilled cheese, I remembered that I found this recipe, and he was not against me making dinner. I used one onion because it was so hard for me to continue cutting onions because EVERY time they make me cry. That was the only modification that I made and it still turned out delicious. It was thick and a bit chunky, I tried my best in blending the soup but the size of my pot didn't allow me to go as deep. Despite all of this, it was delicious and my parents will probably ask me to make it again.
brittbrattcatt
6/4/2020
This recipe is the ULTIMATE comfort food. So delicious and satisfying, and easy to make! I don’t have an immersion blender, so I used my nutribullet and it worked perfectly! Also, I’ve tried Greek yogurt and sour cream and it tastes the same!
sourgummieworker
Portland, OR
5/22/2020
Does anyone know if you can freeze this soup?
KayJax
San DIego
3/22/2020