An easy creamy tomato soup recipe that uses canned tomatoes, tomato paste and a small amount of sundried tomatoes to give it amazing deep flavor year round. Mascarpone cheese adds a rich creamy finish that makes this soup extra special!
Tomato soup is a classic, and you need more than one recipe up your sleeve. You need your summer recipe, for the abundant fresh tomatoes, and you need a winter recipe, for the canned tomatoes and pantry staples. This is the winter recipe… and I’m posting it at the right time of year, which regular readers will know is a rare achievement for my disorganized self! In part because the recipe came together so easily, no prolonged testing required here, because quite honestly anything that combines tomato + mascarpone is a going to be easy to get right.
I did try this recipe a few different ways, and this was my winning version. Pure tomato here – no carrots, celery or peppers. You certainly can add those if you wish, although I do find they change the flavor so you have to want those flavors in your soup … if so, go right ahead! I prefer the straight tomato.
I also add a few sundried tomatoes into the mix to deepen the tomato flavor and umami factor, but it is subtle. You wouldn’t know they were there; they don’t take over the dish in the way that sundried tomatoes in large quantities can.
Mascarpone is just the perfect finishing touch for tomato soup, adding so much richness and sweet flavor. Definitely a level up from normal cream. If you live in the UK you’ll be used to this combo everywhere in premade soups and sauces, but if it’s not something you’ve had before, you’re in for a treat!
Ingredient Swaps
This here is my perfect tomato soup lineup, but this is real life and adjustments sometimes need to be made, so let’s discuss…
- I love Mutti tomatoes and struggle to use anything else these days. I would say this is the kind of recipe where higher quality tomatoes do pay off, so use the best you can get. The soup is blended so it doesn’t really matter whether you use whole, chopped or diced.
- The sundried tomatoes add some really nice umami depth of flavor without making this taste like it has sundried tomatoes in it. You could try using a couple tablespoons of sundried tomato paste if needs be.
- Shallot, white or red onion can be used fairly interchangeably for this recipe.
- Because I am aiming for perfection here, I’m sauteeing the shallots and garlic in salted butter. Olive oil would be fine.
- I love pecorino cheese for this recipe, but you can use parmesan or any other Italian style hard cheese. A vintage cheddar would be fine too, I’m sure. (Vegetarians, be careful with the DOP Italian cheeses which mostly have animal rennet in them – in the UK, Tesco do a vegetarian friendly non-DOP pecorino).
- My balsamic vinegar is a really thick Modena balsamic so one teaspoon goes a long way. If yours is a more on the thin and runny side, you may want to add another teaspoon.
- For seasoning, I like to just add a tablespoon of mixed Italian herbs / Italian seasoning which give the right flavor. If you don’t have a mix, a teaspoon each of basil, oregano and thyme will do nicely.
- One thing you won’t see on the ingredient list is salt. With the salted butter, the veggie stock, the seasoning mix and the super salty pecorino, I just don’t have a need for any more salt. If you’re using a less salty cheese, olive oil for cooking, or a low sodium stock, you may wish to grind some in to taste. And feel free to add lots of pepper if you wish.
Add-Ins for This Soup
- Feel free to add carrot or red pepper if you wish. I personally would only use half a carrot or pepper to avoid the tomato flavor being diluted too much.
- Grilled cheese croutons would be an amazing finishing touch!
- Since I see this as a winter recipe, I made it work without the need for any basil but if you have some available and want to impart a fresh basil taste into the soup, a small handful of basil leaves before blending will be a great addition. Save some for topping too.
More Flavor Packed Soups
Tomato Mascarpone Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning mix
- 4 sun dried tomatoes
- 28 oz (800 g) canned tomatoes, whole, diced or chopped
- 2 cups (475 ml) vegetable stock
- 1.5 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ cup (5 tbsp) mascarpone cheese
- ½ cup (50 g) parmesan, pecorino or Italian hard cheese
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Saute the shallots until soft.2 tbsp butter, 2 shallots
- Add in the sundried tomatoes, Italian seasoning and garlic. Mix through until the scent of the garlic and herbs is released.1 tbsp Italian seasoning mix, 4 sun dried tomatoes, 6 cloves garlic
- Add the tomato paste and mix through. Saute for a minute or two, to deepen the flavors. Add a splash of stock, or some more oil or butter if the pan feels too dry or sticky.2 tbsp tomato paste
- Add the canned tomatoes, vegetable stock, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Turn up the heat and bring to a bubble, then lower the heat again and simmer for 20 minutes or longer if you can. Leave covered while simmering, but open the lid to stir every now and again.28 oz canned tomatoes, 2 cups vegetable stock, 1.5 tsp sugar, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- Puree the soup. You can puree it in the pan using an immersion blender, or transfer it to a jug blender and then back into the pan.
- Once you're ready to serve, stir in the cheese and the mascarpone until it has melted through and you have a delicious creamy soup!1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan, pecorino or Italian hard cheese
- Serve. You can store leftovers in the fridge to use within 5 days, or in the freezer to use within 3 months.
Delicious!