The Best Tomato Soup

Warm comfort this time of year, even if you don't normally like tomato soup.

My mom was the quintessential church lady. She wasn’t morally or religiously strict, but her life revolved around church functions. She regularly organized or participated in events, and most of my parents’ friends were from their church.

One thing all these events had in common was food. I joked with my son one day using my grandfather’s oft-repeated phrase: “Whenever Methodists get together, two things always happen: There’s a collection, and people eat.”

Because my husband and I decided to raise our son outside of religion, he thought that meant church was a restaurant. Oh, well.

But he wasn’t entirely off the mark. Over the years, my family gathered a bunch of recipes from church friends that became family traditions. One of those was my mom’s favorite tomato soup.

This simple recipe is so good that it’s converted even tomato soup haters like my sister. Though she’s always hated tomatoes, during her college years, Mom made a big batch of soup for her every winter break — by request — and she’d happily lug it back to school with her.

I thought the recipe was lost. But the other day, as I was looking through my recipe notebooks in preparation for writing two articles for Bezzy/Healthline, I found it tucked between the pages of one of my notebooks, a hidden gem I thought was gone forever.

So when I had dental surgery this week, and my care instructions called for soft foods like yogurt, pudding, and soup, I knew I had to make it. 

It also occurs to me that a good half of my students have missed classes over the last several weeks due to circulating illnesses like colds, flu, and covid. My own kiddo has already been sick twice in the past month. It’s that time of year. And soup tends to be the food of choice for sick days.

I realize chicken soup is the go-to for healing from sickness, and I have a delicious self-created recipe for a super-healing ginger-turmeric chicken soup. Maybe I’ll share that one too, one of these days. 

But, for now, tomato soup is calling my name. Maybe it’s because my care instructions warned against eating foods like rice, an ingredient in my chicken soup. Or maybe it’s because finding this long-lost recipe felt like a sign I should make it. 

Or maybe it’s because it reminds me of my mom, who’s been gone almost eight years now. The gift of time makes mom reminders feel more like comfort than grief, like a warm sweatshirt or a soft hug. And that’s exactly what this tomato soup feels like to me. 

The Best Tomato Soup

I’ve tweaked the original recipe a bit to be gluten-free and more protein-rich. (Protein is a key element for healing, especially from injury or, in my case, surgery.) But it still tastes like I remember. And you can make it entirely in a multi-cooker, which means if your dorm allows you one, it’s a great healthy recipe for dorm cooking that beats cafeteria food any day.

Start to Finish: 4 hours (10 minutes to prep and 4 hours to cook)

Serves: 11 (16-ounce servings)

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 1 bell pepper, diced

• 1 cup celery, diced

• 1/2 cup butter (one stick)

• 2 46-ounce bottles vegetable juice (such as V8)

• 1 46-ounce bottle tomato juice

• 1 32-ounce carton bone broth (chicken or beef)

• 1 handful fresh basil, torn

• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

• 1/2 tablespoon pepper

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch

Directions

1. Set your multi-cooker on the saute function, high temp. Melt the butter in the pot, then add your diced veggies. Saute until soft, and the onions are translucent.

2. Set your multi-cooker to the slow cook function, high temp. Pour in the vegetable and tomato juices and the bone broth. Add the basil, thyme, pepper, and salt. Stir to combine.

3. Let simmer for 2-3 hours on high. The soup is ready as soon as it’s hot, but a longer cooking time helps the flavors mingle.

4. You can eat your soup as is. Or, use an immersion blender to thoroughly puree the soup until there are no remaining bits of vegetables.

5. Remove about 1/2 cup of soup from the pot and place in a heat-safe container, such as a coffee mug or Pyrex measuring cup. Add the arrowroot or cornstarch, and make a slurry by vigorously whisking the soup and starch together. Pour the slurry back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Let the soup simmer for 20-30 minutes until it thickens.

6. Serve right away or seal into quart jars. Makes about 5-6 quarts.

Want More?

• Discover more dorm-friendly recipes on Brit + Co: 25 Easy College Meals You Can Make in Your Dorm Room

• Many colleges ban cooking appliances in dorm rooms, so always check before you bring any appliances. Here’s a good guide: Are Instant Pots Allowed in Dorms?

What’s New?

• I wrote a piece for Bezzy on diabetic-friendly Valentine’s Day chocolates. Valentine’s Day is over, but you can use these recipes to make filled chocolates for any occasion. For example, I use the same recipes to make filled chocolate eggs.