How to Make Canned Tomato Soup Better Recipe
Learn how to make canned tomato soup better with butter, garlic, fresh basil, milk, and cream for a rich, creamy soup that tastes homemade in about 10 minutes.
Servings: 2
Calories: 104kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 clove of garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon minced jarred garlic)
- 1 10.75 oz can of condensed tomato soup
- ½ can heavy cream
- ½ can 2% milk
- 1 sprig (or cluster) of fresh basil leaves, intact (plus more for garnish)
- sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, and melt the butter.
- Add the garlic and stir.
- Cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the condensed soup, half can of milk, half can of cream, salt, and pepper.
- Stir well to combine.
- Reduce the heat to low, and add basil.
- Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove basil and serve!
Notes
- For the creamiest soup: Use a combination of heavy cream and milk. Half-and-half can be used in place of both.
- For a lighter version: Use all milk, or replace part of the dairy with chicken broth or vegetable stock.
- Fresh basil: Simmer the basil leaves whole, then remove them before serving for plenty of flavor without pieces of basil throughout the soup.
- Garlic: Briefly sauté the garlic in butter before adding the soup so the flavor is mellow rather than sharp.
- Add more tomato flavor: Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato sauce, or roasted tomatoes.
- Add heat: Add crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
- Toppings: Try grated Parmesan, fresh basil, croutons, sour cream, or grilled cheese croutons.
- Make ahead: Prepare up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate in an airtight container.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers for 3–4 days.
- Reheating: Warm gently on the stovetop with a splash of milk if needed to loosen the soup.
- Freezing: I wouldn’t recommend freezing because the cream can separate after thawing.
- Scaling: The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled; just increase all ingredients proportionally.
Nutrition
Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 92mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 0.04g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 366IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.04mg