A simple 5 ingredient tomato soup made with butter, onion, and canned San Marzano tomatoes. Based on the Marcella Hazan tomato sauce recipe. This hits the cozy vibes just right.
This tomato soup is… honestly everything right now! It’s made with 5 ingredients – modeled after the iconic Marcella Hazan tomato sauce recipe!
I’ll never say no to a bowl of tomato soup with a hot and crusty, buttery, salty piece of garlic bread, or a grilled cheese, and this one is so simple that there is no good reason you shouldn’t make it for dinner immediately.
5 Ingredient Tomato Soup
Watch How To Make This Tomato Soup
Lindsay’s Notes
This was one of the happiest things I ate in October.
I made the Marcella Hazan style pasta sauce for a pasta recipe, but when we were all sampling it in the office, Jenna said: “this actually reminds me of tomato soup!” And that comment really started me down a path of obsession. I started eating this as tomato soup instead of tomato sauce, and I realized that this is a total game-changer.
There was one day in particular where I came back inside from a chilly day hiking around with the girls (and by “hiking around” I mean basically walking at a snail’s pace, getting in and out of the stroller, picking up 100 acorns and admiring the colorful trees within a 3 block stretch), and I popped this in the Instant Pot, whipped up a batch of garlic bread, and just devoured it. It was maybe one of my favorite meals of 2023 – just the right thing at just the right moment.
We have a really awesome tomato soup already on Pinch of Yum, so I debated the necessity of having a second recipe here. But ultimately I decided they really serve two different moments.
- Homemade Tomato Soup: This is the OG tomato soup on Pinch of Yum and if you’re looking for more of a showstopping tomato soup with complex layers of flavor, this is the one. This is like a fancy, ultimate, dress-to-impress type tomato soup.
- 5 Ingredient Tomato Soup: And now this is this one, the new addition to the family, is all about simplicity. It tastes like, honestly, just tomatoes. And butter. And a little onion, a little garlic, but mostly just tomatoes. It’s minimal, classic, extremely easy but also… rich, luscious, and lovely. No extra bells and whistles, just a simple buttery tomato flavor.
I know grilled cheese is the iconic pairing for tomato soup, and while we have done that several times this fall (waffled grilled cheese with squishy white bread, don’t @ me), the garlic bread + tomato soup combo is really underrated and absolutely worthy of consideration.
That crusty golden texture, the crispity, buttery chew on the bread, the fresh garlic herb flavor, and the smooth tomato soup – it’s like they were made for each other.
How To Make This Easy Peasy Tomato Soup
Step 1: Add everything to a pot.
- Canned San Marzano tomatoes,
- onion chunks,
- and butter! THAT’S IT!
I use DeLallo San Marzano tomatoes – we love DeLallo and have been preaching this for years. They have the best products ranging from pastas to sauces to canned tomatoes, many of which are imported from Italy. They set such a high bar for quality.
In addition to the tomatoes and butter, a pinch of salt goes in there, too. And sometimes I add a few smashed garlic cloves. Hence the “5 ingredient” title.
(I’m showing this in the Instant Pot, but you can also do this in a large Dutch oven on the stovetop.)
Step 2: Cook it all up for a while; then remove onion chunks.
After cooking, pull those onion chunks out. We’re just infusing the flavor!
Step 3: Blend!
I use an immersion blender to blend directly in the pot. The butter gets emulsified, which makes it just a little creamy, and the whole thing is luscious, velvety, simple and delightful.
Can you believe it? That’s it. You’re done.
Enjoy, and I mean really, ENJOY this cozy moment. ♡
Description
A simple 5 ingredient tomato soup made with butter, onion, and canned San Marzano tomatoes. Based on the Marcella Hazan tomato sauce recipe. This hits the cozy vibes just right.
5 Ingredient Tomato Soup:
- Make the Tomato Soup: Put the tomatoes, butter, and onion in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Bring it up to a low bubble, then turn the heat to medium low. Cover partially with a lid; let it simmer for 45 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes or so to prevent scorching on the bottom.
- Remove Onion Chunks: Remove the onion pieces using tongs. I leave the garlic in there, but that’s up to you!
- Blend the Tomato Soup: Using an immersion blender, blend up the soup until it’s a smooth as you want it. Taste and adjust; you can thin it out with milk, water, broth, cream, whatever you want; I just leave it as-is!
- Serve: Serve tomato soup with garlic bread, grilled cheese, croutons, crackers, pesto, whatever you like!
Notes
To make this in the Instant Pot: Everything goes in the pot, cook for 20 minutes, and release pressure. Remove onion chunks and blend! The advantage of this method is that you don’t have to babysit it – you can just leave it alone and it won’t burn. Very hands-off. That said, I feel like the flavor of the stovetop version is just slightly sweeter and richer because you get a bit more caramelization, but both methods are amazing.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: tomato soup, easy tomato soup, instant pot tomato soup, san marzano tomatoes
Frequently Asked Questions For Tomato Soup
Whole peeled canned tomatoes would also work! The benefit of San Marzano tomatoes is that they’re considered the highest quality and are prized for their thick flesh, sweet flavor, and lower seeds and lower water content.
I keep this in the fridge for as long as a week, and it also freezes really well, so you can save this for a long time.
I would make a grilled cheese with some protein on there to go with the soup – like a chicken or turkey panini.
This tomato soup can easily be dairy free if you use dairy free butter! There are many great dairy free butters out there – I like Miyokos brand! You could also use olive oil (1/2 cup) in place of the butter.
Yes, I think it would work great in the slow cooker. I would cook it on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Follow all the other same instructions.
Three Of My Favorite Cold-Weather Soups
Thanks to DeLallo for sponsoring this recipe!
