Creamy Tomato Bisque (Printable Version)
Smooth tomato bisque with cream and herbs, perfect for a cozy starter or light meal.
# What You Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 28 ounces canned whole peeled tomatoes
05 - 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
→ Liquids
06 - 2 cups vegetable broth
07 - ½ cup heavy cream
→ Seasonings
08 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
09 - ½ teaspoon dried thyme
10 - 1 bay leaf
11 - 1 teaspoon sugar
12 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Garnish (optional)
13 - Fresh basil leaves
14 - A drizzle of extra cream
# How-To:
01 - Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrot, sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add canned tomatoes with juices, vegetable broth, dried basil, dried thyme, bay leaf, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
04 - Remove bay leaf. Using an immersion blender or countertop blender in batches, purée the soup until smooth.
05 - Return soup to gentle simmer, stir in heavy cream, and season with salt and pepper. Heat through for 2 to 3 minutes without boiling.
06 - Ladle into bowls, garnish with fresh basil and a swirl of cream if desired. Serve hot.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It tastes like restaurant-quality soup but takes less than an hour from pantry to bowl.
- The cream swirl transforms something simple into something that feels indulgent without pretension.
- It freezes beautifully, so one batch becomes three easy weeknight wins.
02 -
- Don't skip the 5 minutes of sautéing onions and carrots—rushing this step is where most tomato soups lose their depth.
- The immersion blender changes everything; a well-blended bisque feels luxurious, while a chunky version feels unfinished.
- Cream curdles if the soup is boiling when you add it, so that gentle simmer isn't just a suggestion—it's the difference between silky and broken.
03 -
- Taste the soup before adding cream and adjust your salt and pepper then—it's much harder to balance flavors after the cream goes in.
- A wooden spoon scraping the bottom of the pot while simmering prevents sticking and distributes heat more gently than metal.