Cream of Tomato Soup
This Cream of Tomato Soup is a smooth and creamy vegan soup made with fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, flour, herbs and cashews. The cashews give the soup a rich, creamy texture without adding any cream. It has a light tangy flavor from the tomatoes and a mild sweetness from the nuts.
About This Recipe
Winter is a great time to enjoy warm homemade soups. This soup is simple to make and has a smooth, creamy consistency with a light tang from the tomatoes.
The creaminess in this soup comes from cashews which balance the tangy flavor of the tomatoes with their natural sweetness.
Cashews work as a good substitute for fresh cream and also make the soup naturally vegan. Instead of cashews, you can also use blanched almonds.
This recipe is quick and easy to prepare and does not require much effort. It is perfect for days when you want a warm, comforting soup without cooking something elaborate.
I have used fresh tomatoes to make this soup. When making it, choose ripe red tomatoes that are not too sour or overly tangy.
To make this soup, chopped tomatoes, onions and garlic are first sautéed in olive oil with a bay leaf. A little whole wheat flour is added and lightly roasted to help thicken the soup.
Then tomatoes, water, cashews, black pepper and salt are added, and the mixture is simmered until the tomatoes soften.
Once cooked, the bay leaf is removed and the soup is blended to a smooth consistency. The blended soup is heated again briefly and finished with fresh basil or herbs before serving.
The soup is lightly flavored with crushed black pepper, garlic, olive oil and fresh basil leaves. These ingredients give a gentle peppery taste along with the fresh flavor of basil. You can replace basil with other herbs of your choice.
If you prefer a richer restaurant-style version made with cream, you can also check my classic Restaurant Style Tomato Soup.
You may also like this Tomato Carrot Soup which has a sweet and slightly tangy flavor, or this easy Roasted Tomato Soup made with just five ingredients and having a deeper flavor.
Step-By-Step Recipe
1. Firstly chop 500 to 520 grams of tomatoes (5 medium sized tomatoes), 45 grams onion (1 medium onion) and 4 medium sized garlic cloves.
Cup measurements would be 4 cups chopped tomatoes, ⅓ cup chopped onions and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic.
Cooking tomatoes
2. Take 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium to large sauce pan or pan. Keep the heat to a low or medium-low.
Add 1 medium sized tej patta (Indian bay leaf). Fry for 2 to 3 seconds. If you do not have tej patta, then skip adding it.
3. Then add 4 medium-sized chopped garlic cloves.
4. Sauté garlic for some seconds or till their raw aroma goes away. No need to brown the garlic.
5. Add the chopped onions.
6. Stir and mix well.
7. Stirring often sauté onions till translucent.
8. Now add 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour (atta). You can also use all purpose flour (maida).
9. Mix well and begin to sauté the flour on a low heat stirring often.
10. Sauté for about 1 to 2 minutes or till the raw aroma of flour goes away.
11. Then add the chopped tomatoes.
12. Mix them very well.
13. Now add 2 cups water. Instead of water, you can also use veg stock.
14. Add 10 large cashews.
15. Then add ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper or add as per taste.
16. Add salt as per taste.
17. Stir and mix well.
18. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the soup mixture on a medium-low heat.
19. In between do check when the mixture is simmering.
20. Simmer till the tomatoes have softened. The tomatoes have to lose their rawness and should soften well. Then switch off the heat and let the soup mixture become warm.
21. Then pour the soup mixture in a blender jar. Do use a good blender.
Remove the tej patta (Indian bay leaf) from the soup mixture before adding the soup mixture to the jar.
22. Blend to a smooth consistency. There should be no chunks of onions, tomatoes or cashews. You can also use an electric immersion blender and blend everything directly in the pan itself.
23. Now pour the ground soup mixture in the same pan.
24. Keep the pan on stove top on a low to medium-low heat and gently heat the soup.
25. When the soup becomes hot, switch off the heat and add 2 to 3 basil leaves (chiffonade or chopped).
You can also add any herb of your choice. Instead of basil leaves, you can use cilantro leaves, parsley, oregano, sage, rosemary or any herb you like.
26. Serve the soup hot. While serving you can garnish with a few chopped basil leaves or with some sprinkling of crushed black pepper.
Serve it with some toasted bread or baguette.
Explore More Vegetarian Soup Recipes
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sized tej patta (indian bay leaf)
- 4 medium sized garlic
- 1 medium sized onion or 45 grams onions or ⅓ cup chopped onions
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour or all purpose flour
- 5 medium sized tomatoes or 500 to 520 grams tomatoes or 4 cups chopped tomatoes
- 2 cups water or vegetable stock
- 10 large cashews
- ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper or add as required
- salt as required
- 2 to 3 basil leaves (chiffonade or chopped) or any herb of your choice
Instructions
Preparation
- Firstly chop tomatoes, onion and garlic.
- Keep them aside.
Cooking aromatics & tomatoes
- Take 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium to large sauce pan or pan. Keep flame to a low or medium-low. Add 1 medium sized tej patta (indian bay leaf). Fry for 2 to 3 seconds.
- Then add chopped garlic. sauté garlic for some seconds till their raw aroma goes away. No need to brown the garlic.
- Add the chopped onions. mix well.
- Stirring often sauté onions till translucent.
- Now add 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour (atta). You can also use all purpose flour (maida).
- Mix well and begin to sauté the flour on a low flame stirring often for about 1 to 2 minutes or till the raw aroma of flour goes away.
- Then add the chopped tomatoes. mix them very well.
- Now add 2 cups water. Instead of water you can also use veg stock.
- Add cashews, crushed black pepper and salt as per taste. Mix very well.
- Cover pan with a lid and simmer the soup mixture on a medium-low flame.
- In between do check when the mixture is simmering.
- Simmer till the tomatoes have softened. The tomatoes have to loose their rawness and should soften well. Then switch off the flame and let the soup mixture become warm.
Making the soup
- Then pour the soup mixture in a blender jar. Remove tej patta from the soup mixture. Do use a good blender. You can also use an immersion blender and blend directly in the pan.
- Blend to a smooth consistency. There should be no chunks of onions, tomatoes or cashews.
- Now pour the ground soup mixture in the same pan.
- Keep pan on stove top on a low to medium-low flame and gently heat the soup.
- When the soup becomes hot, switch off flame and add 2 to 3 basil leaves (chiffonade or chopped).
- You can also add any herb of your choice. Instead of basil leaves, you can use coriander leaves, parsley, oregano, sage, rosemary or any herb you like.
- Serve soup hot garnished with chopped basil leaves or with a sprinkling of crushed black pepper.
Dassana’s Notes
- Instead of cashews, you can also use blanched almonds.
Nutrition
Cream of Tomato Soup from the archives was first published on January 2018.
