Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe (Using Fresh Garden Tomatoes)

Every summer, it happens.

You go into the garden thinking you'll pick a handful of tomatoes for lunch and come back carrying far more than you expected.

At first they're easy enough to use. A few in sandwiches. A few sliced onto toast. A handful in a salad.

Then they all seem to ripen at once.

That's usually when this homemade tomato soup recipe finds its way onto the hob.

It's one of those recipes that doesn't need much. Just ripe tomatoes, a few everyday vegetables and a little time to let everything soften together.

The end result is a soup that tastes properly of tomatoes. Not the slightly sweet version you often get from a tin, but something fresher and richer.

If you've got tomatoes growing outside or in a greenhouse, this is one recipe worth keeping.

Why Fresh Tomatoes Make Such a Difference

Supermarket tomatoes certainly have their place.

But tomatoes picked straight from the plant are different.

They're softer.

Sweeter.

They smell like tomatoes before you've even cut into them.

That's what gives this homemade tomato soup recipe its flavour. You don't need lots of extra ingredients trying to make up for tomatoes that haven't fully ripened.

The tomatoes do most of the work.

Ingredients

• 1.5kg ripe fresh garden tomatoes

• 1 large onion, roughly chopped

• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped

• 2 celery sticks, chopped

• 3 garlic cloves

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 700ml vegetable stock

• 2 tablespoons tomato purée

• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, depending on how sweet your tomatoes are)

• Salt and black pepper

• A handful of fresh basil leaves

Optional

• A splash of double cream

• Fresh parsley

• Extra basil for serving

Equipment

• Large saucepan

• Food processor

• Chopping board

• Sharp knife

• Wooden spoon

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.

Add the onion, carrots and celery.

Cook gently for around ten minutes until everything has softened.

There's no rush here. Let the vegetables cook slowly rather than colouring too much.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Now add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée and vegetable stock.

If your tomatoes are particularly sharp, add the teaspoon of sugar.

Bring everything to a gentle simmer.

Leave it to cook for around 30 minutes.

By then the tomatoes should have completely broken down and the carrots should be soft enough to cut easily with the side of a spoon.

Take the pan off the heat.

Add the basil leaves.

Leave everything to cool slightly before blending in your food processor until smooth.

Taste before serving.

It may only need a little salt and pepper.

Do You Need to Peel the Tomatoes?

Not usually.

Once the soup has been blended, the skins almost disappear.

If you prefer an exceptionally smooth soup, you can push it through a sieve afterwards, but I rarely bother.

The slightly rustic texture feels right for homemade soup.

Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe With -

There are plenty of options, but these are the ones I keep coming back to.

Fresh bread.

A toasted cheese sandwich.

Warm bread rolls.

Cheese scones.

Or simply a thick slice of buttered toast.

Sometimes the simplest meals are the ones you look forward to most.

Can You Freeze Homemade Tomato Soup?

Yes.

In fact, it's one of the easiest ways to make the most of a glut of tomatoes.

Leave the soup to cool completely before pouring it into freezer-safe containers.

It will keep for around three months.

Defrost it overnight in the fridge and warm it gently on the hob.

If you've added cream, give it a good stir while reheating.

A Few Ways to Change the Recipe

Once you've made this homemade tomato soup recipe once, it's easy to make small changes.

Try roasting the tomatoes first if you'd like a deeper flavour.

Add a pinch of smoked paprika.

Swap basil for thyme.

Or stir in a little cream before serving if you prefer a richer soup.

There's no single right way.

It depends on what's growing in the garden and what's already in the cupboard.

Growing Tomatoes Makes You Appreciate Them More

I never really thought about tomatoes until I started growing them.

You spend weeks watering the plants.

Watching the flowers appear.

Waiting for the first tiny green fruit.

Then gradually they begin changing colour.

You notice them every morning.

One turns red.

Then another.

Before long you're wondering what you're going to do with them all.

Making soup feels like a good way of making the most of that work.

Nothing goes to waste, and somehow the flavour seems to capture a little bit of summer for later in the year.

A Bowl Worth Making Again

This homemade tomato soup recipe isn't complicated.

It doesn't rely on unusual ingredients or expensive equipment.

It simply lets fresh tomatoes be the star.

If you're lucky enough to have a few growing in the garden this year, save some for this recipe.

Come autumn, you'll probably be glad you did.