One of the great joys in life is a bowl of delicious Tomato Bisque packed with a rich tomato flavor. Now, I’m not talking about the canned variety of tomato soup that we all grew up on. I’m talking about a silky-smooth, creamy tomato soup that will have you moaning with every spoonful.
And the good news is you can have this on your family’s dinner table in an hour.
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I do have to warn you, that once your friends and family taste this bisque there’s no turning back to the canned variety of tomato soup. But the good news is, my Tomato Bisque is easy to make and freezes well so make up a big batch and freeze some for later! This is definitely one of my favorite soups.
Make a few grilled cheese sandwiches to go along with the bisque and you’ll have the perfect comfort food.
Ingredients
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make our Tomato Bisque. In chef speak we call that the Mise en Place, or everything in its place.
This is a good practice to get into whenever you cook. Not only does it speed up the process but it ensures you have everything you need to make the dish.
It’s a short list of ingredients. Canned tomatoes ( I use San Marzano), vegetable broth or chicken broth, cheddar cheese, cream, chopped onions, chopped celery, flour, butter, salt, black pepper and sugar (optional).
You can also add a little grated romano or parmesan cheese to the soup.
Soups are really easy to make with almost no rules or essential ingredients. In the old days, soups were made out of scraps and foods we wanted to make of use of before they went bad. I think this is where the true kitchen artisans showed their skills making nothing into something delicious.
The problem we run into these days is making something out of what’s on hand is having everyone love it so much that they want you to make it again. That my friends is why we have recipes.
How do I make tomato bisque?
The first step in creating my Tomato Bisque is how I start most cream soups.
- Add the butter to a large pot.
- As the butter melts, add the chopped onions and celery.
- After sauteing the onions and celery for about 5 minutes, add the flour to make a roux. *You can use olive oil to make the roux, but the soup won’t be as rich.
A roux (pronounced ROO) is an important part of many soups and sauces. In this soup, the roux is used as a thickener and a way to make the soup smooth and velvety. A roux helps with consistency and texture and can turn a lackluster dish into a culinary masterpiece.
Adding hot stock to the roux creates a Veloute. This alone could be called a poor man’s cream soup. The addition of cream or milk adds body to the soup, making a hybrid type of bechamel sauce, which is how I like to make my cream soups.
There is actually very little cream or milk in most of my creamed soups. The cream changes the texture, color, and mouthfeel. But using too much can detract from the overall flavor and mouthfeel, so don’t overdo the heavy whipping cream!
After the stock has been fully incorporated into the roux, you can add the other ingredients to the veloute.
Chef Dennis Tip:
Use a rubber spatula to make sure you get in all the corners of the pot to release any roux that may be stuck in the pan.
Once the veloute is ready, add in the tomatoes and seasonings. Mix well and simmer for about 30 minutes.
You can use fresh tomatoes to make this delicious creamy tomato soup, but I would suggest just using San Marzano tomatoes and skip the extra work.
Use an immersion blender or a traditional blender to puree the soup until smooth. It’s an easy way to make smooth, creamy soups.
You can also use a traditional blender or food processor to puree the soup.
The next step is straining the bits and pieces of celery, onions and tomato out of the soup so it’s smooth and creamy. There really wasn’t much left after the immersion blender did its thing.
The last step in creating this ah-mazingly delicious Tomato Bisque is adding the cream and the cheese.
What you end up with is an incredibly flavorful Tomato Bisque. Its rich flavor and velvety smooth texture will make a tomato soup lover out of anyone and will soon become a family favorite. You’ll never reach for that red and white can again!
I like to garnish my tomato bisque with shredded cheddar and chopped fresh basil.
Recipe FAQ’s
No, you don’t. If you don’t mind a few chunks in the soup it’s perfectly acceptable not to strain the bisque.
No, you don’t. I like the way it mellows out the tomato flavor and the added cheese flavor is always a good thing.
Tomato soup is usually made with either vegetable or chicken stock. Tomato bisque is made by adding cream or whole milk. The dairy is what makes it thicker and creamier, which gives it the defining traits of a bisque.
Croutons, fresh herbs, dried basil, toasted nuts, sour cream, poached egg, or additional shredded cheese can be used to enhance the flavor of the bisque.
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Tomato Bisque
Ingredients
- 1 cup celery small dice
- 1 cup onions small dice
- ¼ lb unsalted butter 8 tablespoons (1 stick)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock if you prefer)
- 56 oz whole plum tomatoes including juice (canned) San Marzano if possible (2 cans)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon sea salt add more to taste.
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese *add more if you like a cheesier soup
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a 4-quart saucepan. Add celery and onions.
- Allow the onions and celery to cook for a few minutes until they turn semi-translucent.
- Add the flour to the pan to make a roux.
- Let the roux mixture cook for 5-7 minutes over low heat (the flour should begin to smell a little like bread).Don't let the roux get dark or burn.
- Heat the stock in another saucepan.
- Add the stock to the roux, using a wire whip, and mix well.
- Add the tomatoes and seasonings and allow to simmer for 15- 20 minutes.
- If you have an immersion blender after the bisque has simmered, use your immersion blender to puree as much of the product as possible. You can also transfer it to a food processor or blender, just be very careful with the hot bisque.
- After you have either used an immersion blender or food processor, strain your bisque to remove all the bits and pieces of celery, onions, and tomatoes.
- Return the bisque to the pot and add the heavy cream and fold in the shredded cheddar.
- At this time if the bisque appears to thick you can either add more vegetable stock, milk, or just plain water.
- Taste the soup and re-season if necessary, then allow the soup to simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
LynneMarie Olson says
Amazingly simple but so, so rich and tasty!!
Beth W. says
This soup was so delicious, definitely going into the rotation! I made it with a white cheddar but I’m wondering if anyone has tried it with a smokier cheese, like gouda.
Beth W. says
I’ve made this a day ahead and realized I didn’t have the cheese. Will it be okay to add the cheese tomorrow when I warm it up for supper?
Looking so forward to it!
Chef Dennis Littley says
absolutely, you can add the cheese when you reheat the soup.
Beth W. says
Wonderful, thank you!
Mary Ann says
Delicious! I followed the instructions, but I added fresh basil, because we have an abundance! I also made a basil pesto to spoon on top. This is definitely a keeper! I’m going to freeze in individual servings…will be wonderful to take to work! Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the bisque Mary Ann, and the fresh basil is a delicious addition. I hope you find more recipes on my website to try
Charlotte Marsh says
This recipe was amazing, will be making it again!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the bisque, it really is a delicious tomato soup.
Joann Haigh says
I live in a senior retirement apartment building, in Wisconsin and we had a contest for the best soups. I used your tomato, bisque soup and it won first prize. Everyone loved it.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Congratulations on winning, Joann, and thank you for using my recipe I am very happy to hear that everyone enjoyed one of my favorite soups!
Kate says
This was absolutely delicious!
I didn’t change a thing.
Dawn says
This stuff is amazing. Did it exactly as written. It needs no changing. It’s delicious in its simplicity. Going to br my go to soup !
Pat says
Absolutely delicious. So simple to make but so full of flavor. I’ve made it three times already and making it again today. Yum!
Bonny says
Absolutely delicious. Only changes I made was using Hunt’s Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, and once ladled into dishes, I added a few shakes of Wortchestershire sauce. EXCELLENT!!!
Sherry Lamoreaux says
I offered cheese as a topping rather than stirring it in. I also added chopped Argentine shrimp (last 10 minutes) and used a bit of Old Bay seasoning. For stock, I used half vegetable and half lobster. My guests loved this, and I enjoyed making it. Thanks for this easy, straightforward recipe, and your comments.
Chris - SoCal says
This recipe is simply outstanding. Enough said. I added some garlic/ bread and viola! Dinner done…
Very easy recipe to follow with tremendous results – thank you.
Connie says
I am wondering if fresh tomatoes could be used in place of the canned. I have an abundance of tomatoes in the garden that I’m trying to find recipes for. This recipe looks delicious. If fresh would work, how many? If not, I’ll have to find the canned ones because I really want to try this recipe out.
Chef Dennis Littley says
you would have to cook, skin and process the tomatoes to be able to use them for soup or sauces. I’ve never done it, but I’m sure you can find the process on the internet.
Traci says
I love the soup so far.. but if I wanted it to have a little more tomato flavor, what would you suggest I add? Just more whole tomatoes or something else?
Chef Dennis Littley says
Adding the cream and cheese lighten the tomato flavor, but that’s what makes it so creamy and rich. If you want a stronger tomato flavor, leave out or reduce the cream and cheese or increase the amount of tomatoes
Parker says
What kind of onion do you suggest using? Thank you!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I always use sweet white onions for my cooking.
Kyle H says
Absolutely perfect recipe. Most important step is tasting towards the end to get the salinity / sweetness / richness dialed in just right.
Only mods I made were adding a few smashed garlic cloves during the initial simmer and tossing in a rind of parmesan.
Served with grilled cheese – this one is a for-sure keeper.