I’m constantly looking for new ways to use my favorite (not) Sun Dried Tomato Sauce in recipes because it’s just SO good. So, the other day I was thinking, “Hmmm, I wonder if I can just make it into a really tasty soup.” The answer is yes. Yes, that deliciously tangy, herb-infused sauce is the great beginning to a super fast, easy, and delicious homemade Tomato Herb Soup.
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What Does Tomato Herb Soup Taste Like?
This tomato herb soup is not your everyday canned condensed tomato soup. It’s not sugary sweet, it’s fairly thick, very rich, and has tons of herby flavor. The magic comes from the melange of dried herbs and the quick act of caramelizing the tomato paste to create a rich sweetness. So yum and it gets better as it refrigerates. Oh, did I mention that it just happens to be VEGAN?
What to Serve with Tomato Herb Soup
A classic grilled cheese sandwich is never a bad idea, but you could also do something like Homemade Garlic Bread, Pesto Cheese Toast, or drop a few Homemade Croutons on top, and make a super simple salad to go on the side.
Is it Freezer Friendly?
Yes, this soup holds up really well to freezing, so feel free to stash a couple servings in there for later! I try to use up my frozen foods within three months for best quality, but you may get a longer life out of it. In the refrigerator, the soup should stay good for about 4-5 days.
Tomato Herb Soup
Servings 5 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 2 cloves garlic* ($0.16)
- 1/4 cup olive oil ($0.64)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp dried rosemary ($0.03)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.03)
- 1 6oz. can tomato paste ($0.39)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.02)
- 1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes ($0.79)
- 3 cups vegetable broth ($0.39)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and add it to a sauce pot along with the olive oil, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and freshly cracked pepper. Turn the heat on to medium-low and sauté for about 2 minutes, or until the garlic has softened.
- Add the tomato paste and brown sugar. Stir until everything is mixed (the oil may stay partially separated). Cook the mixture while stirring continuously for 3-5 minutes, or until the tomato paste takes on a darker, almost burgundy hue.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth. Whisk the mixture together until smooth. Turn the heat up to medium and heat through, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Tomato Herb Soup – Step by Step Photos
Start by adding ¼ cup olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 tsp dried rosemary, 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes, and some freshly cracked black pepper to a sauce pot. Turn the heat on to medium-low and sauté the herbs in the oil for about two minutes, or until the garlic has softened.
Add 6 oz. tomato paste and 1 Tbsp brown sugar to the pot. Stir until everything is pretty well combined (the oil may never fully mix in). Continue to stir and cook for about 5 minutes more, or until the tomato paste takes on a darker burgundy hue (see photo below).
Add one 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes. Crushed tomatoes are smaller bits than diced tomatoes, but not quite as smooth as tomato sauce. It’s somewhere in between, and doesn’t have any seasoning added.
Also add 3 cups of vegetable broth, which will thin the soup out, add depth of flavor, and just the right amount of salt. I use this Better Than Bouillon to quickly mix up the exact amount of broth that I need.
Then just whisk everything together and heat through! The end! The flavors are even better the next day.
OMG – grilled cheese + tomato soup FTW!
Now give yourself a high-five for making such a delicious soup in under 30 minutes.
I was given alot of ‘fresh-of-the-vine’ tomatoes; made this soup, doubled the batch and froze it by one serving soup bowl sizes in freezer bag. Filled each bag (once cooled) with 3 laddles worth of soup. Placed them on a cookie sheet, froze them and now I have 8 discs of delicious soup. You could taste the freshness and spices.
Just wanted to say thank you for posting this recipe! I am not a huge tomato soup fan, but I do love this one. I think what I haven’t liked about tomato soup is the sugar and the cream–this one is, as you said, more like a marinara sauce (and I do love a good tomato sauce!). So–thank you.
I made this to go with your spinach feta grilled cheese (man oh man, so yummy!) but the soup unexpectedly ended up being the hit of the meal. I’d never had anything but Campbell’s tomato soup before, so this was quite a revelation!
I have been snowed in lately and this recipe is AMAZING for something I could just throw together with what I have in my cupboard! Thanks for another winner.
Hello!!
My husband gets his wisdom teeth out next week so I’m been looking for easy to make/eat soup recipes. If I don’t use the bullion would regular pre-made veggie broth be ok still?
Yes, absolutely. You may need to adjust the salt at the end depending on how much is in the brand of broth that you use.
I love bits of onions in my tomato soup. Do you think it would mess things up to add onions in the first step, to cook along with the garlic and herbs?
That would work just fine. :)
So easy and so good, I’ll be making this often!
Hey Beth, I made this tonight and it was really tangy. Any ideas of what I might have done wrong and what I could do to make it better next time?
Tanginess is usually due to the natural acidity of the tomatoes, which can be dampened with sugar. Some people are a little more sensitive to the acidity than others, so you can try adding a little more brown sugar. :)
I absolutely love, love, LOVE soup. Making and eating it, especially with a slice of crispy french bread or grilled cheese (totally paired this with the spinach and feta panini… AKA Grilled cheese for adults; it was definitely a party in my mouth!) added bonus: its definitely soup season now, which may or may not be year round in my house. Overall, this recipe is the bomb, I like mine a little spicy so I definitely added a bit of siracha to the mix. I’d give this more stars if I could, but it only allows for 5. Keep it rockin’!
Just gotta say I love this recipe. I’ve taken to adding two roasted and pureed red peppers too, which is absolutely lovely! Just about to sit down with some grilled cheese and chow, thanks!
Hey Beth,
When using Better than Bouillon, do you premix the broth or do you just add water and the bouillon separately?
It usually depends on the recipe. If it’s something that shouldn’t really be stirred much, like rice, I’ll premix the water and BTB. For soups and other things that will be stirred often, I just go ahead and add the water and BTB to the pot and let them mix as I stir. For a recipe like this, you can add the water and BTB to the pot without premixing. :)
I just made this. I used 2 cans of beef broth because it was handy. This is amazing! Thank you!!!!
I tried out this recipe, it was good! It had a nice italian flair to it. I did make a change because I like my tomato soup on the creamy side. I substituted one of the cups of broth with almond milk. Real good-real cheap. Thanks for posting this – I will make it again!
I forgot to say, I added my own mini meatballs, but even without them it would be delicious.
This recipe is simply delicious, I will never buy canned tomato soup again!
I gave some to my parents, they loved it too.