Grilled cheese and tomato soup are one those classic lunches – especially on a cold winter day. As quick as it is to open a can of soup and heat on the stove, this Creamy Tomato Soup made from scratch tastes even better, is all natural, and literally takes about 20 minutes start to finish. Once you make it – with ingredients likely already in your kitchen – there’s no going back.

A bowl of creamy homemade tomato soup on a wooden board with a half a grilled cheese with it.

Bye bye, Campbell’s.

Not to knock a solid brand – but if I can make anything from scratch with no preservatives that tastes even better than the canned stuff – that’s what’s happening. It’s better for you and is comparable or even cheaper per serving, most times. That’s enough reason for me.

Don’t get me wrong – there’s something nostalgic for me about Campbell’s soup for lunch – it was a staple in our house growing up. My mom paired it with a quick sandwich or simple Club crackers slabbed with margarine. (Seriously… so good. Just try it.) But… I’ll be making this Creamy Tomato Soup from now on.

Looking for more homemade soups like this one?

Homemade Cheddar Broccoli Soup:

Another soup I won’t pay for anymore – because the homemade version tops it.

Homemade Loaded Potato Soup:

Use frozen diced potatoes to save time, but another from scratch version that is filling and delicious.

10 ingredients. 4 steps. Done.

I used to not always have half & half or heavy whipping cream on hand, but now that cooking from scratch has become such a priority to me, these are just as common in my frig as a gallon of milk. This time of year especially -winter here in Southwestern PA- soups are on repeat. With this Creamy Tomato Soup you can use either half and half or heavy cream, and it’s always delicious.

Here are the ingredients to make homemade Creamy Tomato Soup:

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp minced garlic
4 tablespoons salted butter
2 cups chicken broth
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained, or 2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups half and half or heavy cream

Four easy steps with one stockpot.

STEP 1: MELT THE BUTTER, THEN ADD IN ONIONS AND GARLIC UNTiL SOFT AND COOKED THROUGH.

A white stock pot with chopped onions and garlic cooking in some melted butter

STEP 2: ADD CHICKEN STOCK, TOMATOES, AND SEASONINGS.

Bring this to a quick boil, then cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until tomatoes can be easily pierced with a spoon.

A white stockpot on a stovetop with chicken broth and chopped tomatoes to make creamy tomato soup

step 3: add in half and half or heavy cream.

There’s seriously no preference here: Add 2 cups half and half or one cup half and half and one cup cream – it’s totally your preference. I usually do 1 cup of each.

Again – a quick boil then reduce the heat to medium for about 5 to 10 minutes until consistently cooked through.

A white stockpot with a wooden spoon with a tomato base soup and some half and half mixed in, swirling the red soup with white.

step 4: Use an immersion blender, standing blender, or food processor to puree the tomatoes and get that creamy consistency.

A black stovetop with a white stockpot of mixed and cooked Creamy Tomato Soup with a white iimmersion blender next to it.

I just got this immersion blender for Christmas and love it. It’s pretty, matches my kitchen, and works great. Here’s what I use: Two Speed Immersion Blender by Beautiful by Drew Barrymore.

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Here’s the printable recipe:

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Creamy Tomato Soup

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword Soup

Prep Time 5

Equipment

1 Immersion blender, standing blender, or food processor

Ingredients

1/2 cup onion chopped
1/2 tsp garlic minced
4 tbsp butter salted
2 cups chicken broth
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes drained
1 tsp Italian seasoning or equal parts basil, thyme, and oregano
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups half and half or heavy cream

Instructions

MELT THE BUTTER, THEN ADD IN ONIONS AND GARLIC UNTL SOFT AND COOKED THROUGH.
ADD IN CHICKEN BROTH, TOMATOES, AND ALL SEASONINGS. Bring this to a quick boil, then cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until tomatoes can be easily pierced with a spoon.
ADD IN HALF AND HALF OR HEAVY CREAM. Again – a quick boil then reduce the heat to medium for about 5 to 10 minutes until consistently cooked through.
USING AN IMMERSION BLENDER, STANDING BLENDER, OR FOOD PROCESSOR TO PUREE THE TOMATOES AND GET THAT CREAMY CONSISTENCY.