Homemade Fresh Tomato Soup Recipe - The Kitchen Girl (2024)

• ▢ 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ▢ 1 White Onion coarsely chopped
• ▢ 5 cloves Garlic coarsely chopped
• ▢ 4 pounds Tomatoes halved (about 8 cups)
• ▢ 1 cup Vegetable Broth or Chicken Broth
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano or Basil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Sea Salt

See recipe footnotes for the pressure cooker method

• Heat OLIVE OIL in soup pot on medium-high heat. Sauté ONIONS and GARLIC until tender, stirring as needed.

• Add TOMATOES, BROTH, OREGANO, and SALT.

• Bring everything to a boil, stirring as needed.

• Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20-30 minutes until tomatoes fall apart easily.

• Use a stick blender or heat-safe countertop blender to puree ingredients into a soup, removing all lumps.

• Taste the soup and season with more salt if needed.

• (optional) Pour the soup through a mesh strainer to remove the tiny tomato seeds.

• Serve warm. Garnish options: croutons, fresh parsley, creme fraiche, Parmesan cheese.

• To store, cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days or 90 days in the freezer.

• Tomato variety - Early Girls and heirlooms are easily found and grown in summer. Opt for vine-ripened or Roma tomatoes, available at most grocery stores, for a consistently flavorful soup during the off-season.
• Tomato size - A medium tomato (baseball size) is about ¼ pound. This recipe calls for 4 pounds of fresh tomatoes, so you need about 16.
• Should I peel tomatoes? Peeling tomatoes for tomato soup is optional, as the skins will be pureed, resulting in a silky smooth texture. Feel free to peel if you prefer.
• Make it creamy - To recreate Panera's tomato soup, stir in ½ cup of heavy cream or half and half into the cooked tomato soup.

Pressure cooker method

1. Select "Sauté" on the Instant Pot and heat OIL.

2. When the display reads "Hot", add ONION and GARLIC; sauté until tender and lightly browned (about 5 minutes), stirring frequently.

3. Add TOMATOES, SALT, OREGANO, and BROTH to the pot.

4. Secure the lid, turn the pressure release valve to the "Sealing" position, and press "Cancel". Then select "Manual" or "Pressure Cook” on the HIGH setting for 10 minutes.

5. When the cook cycle ends, allow the pot to sit undisturbed for a 10-minute NPR natural pressure release. Carefully turn the pressure release valve to "Venting" to release any remaining steam before opening the lid.

6. Continue with step #6 above.