Tomato Soup made as a cozy, dependable bowl with balanced seasoning and practical prep.
Comfort in a Cooker: Slow‑Simmered Tomato Soup
A cozy, hands‑off tomato soup that balances bright tomato flavor with gentle sweetness and deep savory notes—ready after a short prep and a long, comforting simmer.
This is the kind of soup you make when you want something reliable and warming with almost no babysitting required. A quick chop of onion, carrot, and celery and a few minutes of sautéing set the base, then everything goes into the slow cooker to mellow and marry for hours. It yields about six generous bowls, so it’s perfect for weeknight dinners, easy lunches, or a simple meal to bring to friends.
Sautéing the mirepoix first is the small step that delivers big flavor—softened onion and carrot add natural sweetness while celery gives a subtle savory backbone. Crushed tomatoes and a spoonful of tomato paste supply body and brightness; a pinch of granulated sugar tames any sharp acidity. Dried basil, oregano, and a bay leaf lend those classic, familiar herb notes without fuss, and using low‑sodium tomatoes and broth lets you finish the seasoning to taste.
After 6 hours on Low (or 3–4 on High) the vegetables are melt‑tender and the flavors are deeply rounded. If you prefer a silky soup, an immersion blender turns it into a smooth, velvety purée; leave it a bit chunky if you want a heartier spoonful. Top with a drizzle of olive oil, torn basil, or a grilled cheese for dunking—the contrast in textures is part of the comfort.
This soup is wildly forgiving: make it ahead and refrigerate or freeze portions for quick lunches, reheat slowly to keep the texture, and remember to fish out the bay leaf before serving. Little timings and ingredient choices here make a dependable, deeply flavored soup with almost no drama—just the kind of slow‑simmered comfort that keeps well and feeds a crowd.
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