Tomato Soup made as a cozy, dependable bowl with balanced seasoning and practical prep.
The Cozy, Hands-Off Tomato Soup
A slow-cooker tomato soup that marries bright tomato flavor with savory depth and almost no active cooking time.
This is the kind of recipe you reach for when you want something comforting and dependable without standing at the stove. Thirty minutes of prep—sautéing a simple onion-carrot-celery base—sets up a rich, layered soup that the slow cooker finishes for you. By the time it’s done the kitchen smells like warm herbs and tomato paste caramelized into something deeply savory.
The ingredient choices are why this works: sautéed mirepoix gives natural sweetness and body, tomato paste and low‑sodium crushed tomatoes add concentrated tomato flavor and silkiness, and a pinch of sugar quiets any sharp acidity. Dried basil, oregano and a bay leaf add familiar, cozy herb notes while low‑sodium broth and tomatoes let you season to taste at the end so the balance never feels clumsy.
Sautéing the vegetables first is a small step that rewards you with more depth—those browned bits are flavor insurance before everything goes into the slow cooker. Cook on Low for about 6 hours (or High for 3–4) until the veggies are very tender and the flavors have melded; for a velvety finish, pulse with an immersion blender or a few whirls in a blender if you like your soup completely smooth.
This soup is forgiving and practical: it reheats beautifully, freezes well in portions, and makes a generous batch for weeknight dinners or a casual lunch. Serve it with a drizzle of olive oil, crusty bread, or a melty grilled cheese for dunking; finish with a few extra grinds of black pepper or a sprinkle of flaky salt just before serving to brighten every spoonful.
Ingredients
How to Make Tomato Soup
- Trim and coarsely chop the onion, carrot, and celery; mince the garlic.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and sauté the chopped onion, carrot, and celery until softened and the onion is translucent, about 6–8 minutes; add the garlic and cook for 30–60 seconds until fragrant.
- Transfer the sautéed vegetables to the slow cooker and add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth, sugar, dried basil, dried oregano, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper; stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours (or High for 3–4 hours) until the vegetables are very tender and flavors have melded.
- Remove the bay leaf, then use an immersion blender to purée the soup in the slow cooker until smooth or to your preferred texture; alternatively, cool slightly and blend in batches in a blender.
- Stir in the heavy cream, taste, and adjust seasoning with extra salt or pepper as needed; reheat on Low for 10 minutes if the soup cooled while blending.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish each with torn fresh basil leaves, and serve warm with crusty bread or grilled cheese if desired.
Recipe Card
Tomato Soup
Tomato Soup made as a cozy, dependable bowl with balanced seasoning and practical prep.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 6 hr
- Servings
- 6
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim and coarsely chop the onion, carrot, and celery; mince the garlic.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and sauté the chopped onion, carrot, and celery until softened and the onion is translucent, about 6–8 minutes; add the garlic and cook for 30–60 seconds until fragrant.
- Transfer the sautéed vegetables to the slow cooker and add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth, sugar, dried basil, dried oregano, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper; stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours (or High for 3–4 hours) until the vegetables are very tender and flavors have melded.
- Remove the bay leaf, then use an immersion blender to purée the soup in the slow cooker until smooth or to your preferred texture; alternatively, cool slightly and blend in batches in a blender.
- Stir in the heavy cream, taste, and adjust seasoning with extra salt or pepper as needed; reheat on Low for 10 minutes if the soup cooled while blending.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish each with torn fresh basil leaves, and serve warm with crusty bread or grilled cheese if desired.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 18
- Saturated Fat
- 3.2
- Sodium
- 725
- Fiber
- 4.2
- Unsaturated Fat
- 4
- Protein
- 4
- Fat
- 7.2
- Cholesterol
- 12
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 162
- Sugar
- 12