Tomato Bisque Soup Recipe

This easy, creamy 30-minute Tomato Bisque Soup Recipe is smokey, savory and so delicious! It is packed with vegetables and layers of flavor. This easy soup recipe uses pantry ingredients for a quick, delicious weeknight meal!

Because it takes only 30-minutes, it's perfect for lunch or dinner! Creamy Tomato Soup is always a family favorite! Next time try Easy Potato Soup Recipe.

Why this Tomato Bisque soup is the coziest

You know I love a great bowl of soup, like Cream of Cauliflower Soup or my award-winning Cheeseburger Soup!

This soup is a winner because it only takes 30 minutes to make! It's the perfect comfort food. Rich and hearty, all you need is a grilled cheese sandwich to satisfy your taste buds!!

Ingredients you’ll need

• Crushed tomatoes - sweet and flavorful. The recipe calls for canned tomatoes, but you can use fresh tomatoes as well, I prefer Roma tomatoes for the flavor or any organic tomato.
• Fire-roasted tomatoes - to add smokey flavor, canned whole tomatoes would be a great substitute.
• Tomato paste - to drive that tomato flavor home.
• Red and green bell pepper, carrots, celery, garlic - this bisque is loaded with vegetables.
• Smoked paprika powder - rich in flavor and depth, it adds sweet and smokey notes to the bisque!
• Canned chipotle pepper - the rich adobe will add a layer of warm (not big heat to the bisque. No chipotle? Substitute with cayenne pepper.
• Dried Italian herbs, salt, pepper - gotta season the soup!
• All purpose flour - to thicken the soup.
• Vegetable stock or chicken broth - use whichever you prefer and have on hand, homemade chicken stock would be extra delicious!.
• Half and half - adds richness and will also thicken the soup, substitute with heavy whipping cream or even whole milk if you'd prefer.
• Goat cheese - add tanginess and creaminess.
• Butter, olive oil - to soften and sauté the vegetables.

To make the soup vegan.

• Omit the cream and cheese. Substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock and just like that, you have a lovely vegan tomato soup.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Chop the vegetables and mince the garlic.
2. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Melt butter and add olive oil. 
3. When hot & bubbly, add the onions, peppers, carrots and celery and sauté. Add the seasonings and continue sautéing for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and tomato paste, stir to combine. Add the flour, stir well. Cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock and water. Increase the heat to high and stir well until it comes to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan well. The mixture will begin to thicken. 
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the tomato mixture uncovered for about 20 minutes. 
7. After 20 minutes, crumble in the goat cheese and stir until it melts through.
8. Remove from the heat. You can blend the soup in a large blender, an immersion blender, or food processor, until smooth consistency and creamy, velvety texture.
9. Lastly, add the milk and stir until combined. Heat through, do not bring to a boil

Essential tools for this recipe

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• To make the soup super creamy, you can use a traditional blender, food processor, or a stick blender (Immersion Blender).

For more of my favorite soup making products, check out my Amazon Store here.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ’s)

• What do you do when you open a can of chipotle peppers or tomato paste and only need a tablespoon? Freeze the remaining. Separate the peppers into small plastic bags, date the bags and freeze them individually. Do the same for tomato paste by 1 tablespoon increments.
• The stronger your blender or food processor is, the smoother and silkier your soup will be. It processes the soup better!
• Finish the hot soup with fresh basil - delicious!Or topping the soup with crispy croutons or popcorn adds a wonderful texture and crunch!

For more soup-making tips and tricks - click here for Homemade Soup; A Complete Guide!

Storage

Refrigerate - this creamy soup will last in the refrigerator up to three days.

Freezer - When the creamy tomato soup is complete. Place a quart in an airtight container and freeze. It freezes GREAT, up to three months.

Related recipes

You all know I love a great bowl of soup! Whether it's a great bowl of turkey corn chowder, loaded potato soup or a mexican stew like chicken pozole!

Here are more fan favorite soups to enjoy!!

• Mediterrean Lentil Soup - the best flavor in an easy to make meal that's ready in minutes instead of hours.
• This has been called the BEST Clam Chowder Recipe ever! It's loaded with clams. Super creamy and hearty. It's delicious!
• Butternut Squash Soup - so creamy and fabulous! This recipe is made in the slow cooker.

Check this out for our BEST Homemade Soup Recipes on the blog!

Serve with

The hands-down favorite side dish to serve with this soup recipe is toasted cheese sandwiches and a Caesar salad. What a great dinner! How can you go wrong?

Total comfort food, wouldn't you agree? Whether it's a beautiful fall day or you are craving something delicious, this is the perfect recipe. Please leave a comment below - I'd love to hear your thoughts!

5 from 5 votes

Creamy Tomato Bisque Soup Recipe

Nothing is better or more comforting than a warm bowl of soup! Filled with rich tomato flavor, this is perfect meal and an easy recipe!

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Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Soups and Stews

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 270kcal

Author: Deb Clark

Cost: $10

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 1 15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 1 red onion chopped
• ▢ 1 red and green bell pepper seeds removed and roughly diced
• ▢ 2 carrots peeled and chopped
• ▢ 1 stalk celery chopped
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ½ chipotle pepper minced (optional)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ ¼ cup flour
• ▢ 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 1 cup half and half
• ▢ 2 oz goat cheese
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

• Begin by chopping the vegetables and mincing the garlic.
• Place a large dutch oven over medium heat. Heat butter and olive oil. When hot and bubbly add chopped onions, peppers, carrots and celery and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the dried herbs, smoked paprika, salt & pepper and continue sauteing for about 10 minutes.
• Add the garlic and tomato paste, stir thoroughly to combine. Add the flour and incorporate well. Cooking for about two minutes to cook out the flour taste.
• Add the tomatoes, chicken stock and water. Increase the heat to high and stir well until it comes to a boil. The mixture will begin to thicken. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes crumble in the goat cheese and stir until it melts thru.
• Remove from the heat. Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until it is smooth and creamy. Lastly add the milk and stir until is combined. Heat thru, do not bring to a boil

Notes

** Slow Cooker Directions

1. Heat a large stockpot over medium heat, add the butter & olive oil. Add the onions, peppers, carrots and celery and saute. Add the seasoning and continue sauteing for about 10 minutes.
2. Transfer the sauteed vegetables to the slow cooker. 
3. Add the tomato paste and the garlic, stir to combine. Add the flour and mix well. Cooking for about two minutes to cook out the flour taste.
4. Add the remaining ingredients except for the goat cheese and cook on low for four hours. 
5. Remove lid and crumble in cheese. Replace lid and melt the cheese (about 15 minutes). 
6. Puree until smooth.

**Instant Pot Directions

1. Turn the instant pot on saute, when hot add the butter & olive oil. Add the onions, peppers, carrots and celery and saute. Add the seasoning and continue sauteing for about 10 minutes.
2. Cook on Manual/High Pressure for 5 minutes. When the timer beeps allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes.
3. Remove lid and crumble in cheese. Replace lid and melt the cheese (about 15 minutes). 
4. Puree until smooth.

Adding popcorn, crunchy croutons for garnish - and serve with crusty bread - yum!

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Nutrition

Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 945mg | Potassium: 585mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 5070IU | Vitamin C: 43.8mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 2.8mg

If you love this recipe, be sure to give it 5 stars!

Recipe backstory

The inspiration for this easy Tomato Bisque came from a road trip to Bend, Oregon.

Dan had a conference there and I decided to tag along. ROAD TRIP!!! Starting in Fresno, we drove up Interstate Five into Oregon. Along the way, we had a nice easy drive and stopped whenever we felt like it.

Sometimes for a picnic, sometimes for an amazing view - whatever struck our fancy! You can see all the photos and read about our adventure, just scroll down to the bottom of the blog post.

You're going to love how easy and delicious because it takes just over 30 minutes to make.

It's loaded with dried chipotle chili powder and chipotle for warm spice and the earthy flavor comes from the goat cheese with smokiness from the paprika. So many flavors that taste absolutely AMAZING together!

But hey, if you're not a fan of goat cheese, that's ok - substitute with cream cheese. It will give you creaminess without the strong flavor.

On our road trip we met Mom and Dad in Bend, got to see Mount Shasta on the drive up and spent some time seeing the sights, pictured below.

Once we got to Bend, we met my folks. They had driven over from the Portland area and we got to enjoy a couple of days filled with fun and adventure!

One of the places we went was Pilot Butte in Bend (that's the photo directly above).

It's an extinct volcano that rises 500 feet above the surrounding plains. It's a State Park with a beautiful viewpoint. From the top, you can see Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier and the Three Sisters Mountain Range. It's an absolutely amazing view!

We had lots of fun and did quite a bit of picture taking.

Bend is also famous for their breweries. Dan and I spent some time at a couple (well more than a couple...). Super fun because everything was in walking distance of our hotel!

Of course, we had some good eats, too. While the boys grilled up some steaks, Mom and I made a salad and sauteed some mushrooms - always a favorite with grilled steaks!

We often stay at an AirBnB or something similar so we have access to a stove and fridge. It gives us a chance to chill. Maybe cook up some grub and get good downtime.

How about you, have you ever used one of those services?

One meal I really enjoyed was a delicious cup of soup from a small family restaurant. I looked up this restaurant on the internet and gave them a call beforehand.

The maître d walked thru the menu and she raved about their homemade tomato bisque - I couldn't wait to try it!

This from scratch recipe did not disappoint! It was flavorful and delicious I knew I had to replicate it at home!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures from our road trip! Now let's get to cooking this amazing Homemade Tomato Bisque!!