Creamy Bacon Tomato Soup- This rich and creamy tomato soup with smoky bacon pieces is the ultimate comfort food that transforms chilly nights into a cozy culinary experience. There's something magical about this delicious soup that makes it one of our favorite recipes to prepare when the time of year calls for warming, soul-satisfying meals.
Nothing quite captures the essence of seasonal cooking like a steaming bowl of homemade tomato soup paired with a grilled cheese sandwich. This bacon tomato soup recipe combines the tangy acidity of the tomatoes with the smoky richness of bacon fat, creating a delicious way to elevate your regular tomato soup into something truly extraordinary.
This is just one of our many fantastic soup recipes! Check out these also: Potato and roasted shallot with crispy prosciutto, Creamy Mushroom with Asiago Soup Recipe, Minestrone Soup, Easy Classic Smoky White Bean with Ham Soup Recipe.
This creamy soup is perfect to pair with our ultimate grilled cheese sandwich, (of course). Allow us to walk you through how to create this bowl of perfection with only 7 basic ingredients and a prep time that won't keep you in the kitchen all day.
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What You're Going to Need!
- Canned tomatoes - Marzano variety. Why canned over fresh tomatoes? While fresh is great for many things, canned tomatoes are actually ideal here. For more info, see "Canned Tomatoes Versus Fresh" below.
- Heavy whipping cream - The rich flavor inherent in this ingredient perfectly smooths out the acidity of the tomatoes and gives this creamy tomato soup its luxurious texture.
- Garlic - Not enough to give the dreaded "dragon breath". but just a little bit. We always use fresh garlic.
- Fresh basil - Use fresh leaves in this if at all possible. The dry ingredient has a tendency to get lost in this recipe.
- Bacon - The smoky and savory back note that this pork staple provides is a big part of what makes this tomato soup recipe stand out from other soup recipes.
- Salt - Kosher salt, being the most simple expression of the mineral, is what we suggest.
- Black pepper - We cannot stress enough how much freshly ground makes all the difference.
See recipe card for quantities.
Recipe
Creamy Bacon Tomato Soup
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Slice the bacon into strips. Rough chop the garlic and fresh basil leaves.
- Heat the 6-quart sauce pan and add the bacon pieces, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy.
- Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon, and leave the fat behind in the pan. Make sure to lower the heat a bit, so the bacon fat doesn't burn.
- Add the garlic and basil to the bacon fat, and cook being careful not to scorch either ingredient. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Add the canned tomatoes and the cooked bacon back to the pan, adjust the seasoning again with salt and black pepper and simmer for 20 minutes to combine the flavors.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and very carefully ladle into the cup of a blender. Only fill the cup half way.
- Place a kitchen towel over the top of the blender cup, and pulse slowly and carefully. The hot liquid could push up and out of the blender if it's processed to quickly. (see the Chef's Tip above for safety tips when blending hot liquid)
- Once you have pulsed the blender a few times, go ahead and blend to create a puree. Repeat the process until all of the mixture is blended.
- Use a new saucepan and place the pureed mixture back on low to medium heat. And add the heavy cream, stir to combine.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning one more time, then simmer for 10 minutes and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Let us know how it was!How to Make the Best Creamy Bacon Tomato Soup!
- Prep the ingredients - Slice the bacon into strips, pick the fresh basil leaves from the stems, peel and rough chop the garlic.
2. Cook the bacon - Heat your large pot or large saucepan over medium heat and add the bacon until crispy, which renders the fat that will serve as your cooking base, giving the soup a rich flavor.
3. Remove and rest - Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and let it rest on a paper towel. Leave the bacon fat in the pan, and lower the heat a little bit so it doesn't burn.
4. Sauté aromatics - Add the garlic and basil to the bacon fat, cooking briefly and being careful not to scorch either ingredient.
5. Build the base - Add the canned tomatoes to the pan.
6. Finish building - Add the cooked bacon back to the pan, and simmer briefly to combine the flavors.
7. Transfer to blender - Very carefully ladle the hot liquids and the base to the cup of a regular blender.
8. Blend carefully - Very carefully cover and pulse blender on low to medium setting to fully puree the ingredients. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender directly in the pot for easier cleanup. (See Chef tip below regarding using a blender with hot liquids)
9. Finish with cream - Return the pureed mixture to a clean larege saucepan and place back on low to medium heat. Add the heavy cream.
10. Final touches - Stir cream in and return to a simmer. Season to taste. Serve with cheese sandwichs for the perfect meal!
Canned Tomatoes Versus Fresh
I'm sure that it hasn't gone unnoticed that we are using canned tomatoes in this tomato soup recipe. Why would we choose canned over fresh tomatoes?
This question has been very common one for myself and other chefs. Freshness is always best, right? While that's kind of correct, as with most things, it's not always the case. It's not just about freshness, but more so about choosing the appropriate ingredient for the recipe.
Fresh tomatoes in grocery stores are shipped from the farms while still green and are ripened by exposing them to ethylene gas. This makes it possible to have them available year-round but also makes them less sweet, soft, and full-flavored, especially for cooked recipes.
Canned tomatoes, and especially the Marzano variety that we exclusively use for our easy soup recipes, have important advantages. The fruit doesn't have to be shipped very far to processing facilities and therefore is allowed to fully ripen. Once the canning is done, the attributes desired for a recipe like soup or sauce are locked in for long term storage. Marzano tomatoes in particular have a rich flavor, meatier texture, and dark ruby red color, making them ideal for this delicious soup.
Chef Tip: Safety First with Hot Liquids
This recipe includes using a blender to puree hot ingredients, which can be very dangerous unless being very careful. Hold the top on firmly while using a towel to protect your hand. Always start on the lowest speed, and use the pulse setting to get everything moving. Once some motion is established and the ingredients are starting to puree, you can gradually increase the speed and allow it to blend continuously. I've seen many a cook blow off the top of the cup by being too impatient, making a giant mess, and sometimes incurring serious burns.
Substitutions & Variations
- Vegetarian - A plant based, smoky protein can be used in this recipe, (we prefer impossible brand), just make sure to use some vegetable or olive oil to sauté with instead of bacon fat.
- Non dairy - Any plant-based milk or cream substitute will work just fine in place of the heavy cream.
- Vegan - Combining both of the above procedures will satisfy these dietary needs
- Spicy - Adding some roasted green chilis of your preference can add some additional "warmth" to this creamy soup
- Extra rich and cheesy - to make this soup really "over the top", melt in a soft farmers cheese like chevre or Boursin right at the end, or substitute some cream cheese for part of the heavy whipping cream.
Storage & Helpful Hints
When fully cooled and tightly sealed, this tomato bacon soup will store under refrigeration for up to 7 days, and frozen for up to three months.
The larger chop on the basil and garlic is indicated here for a purpose. Not only is the soup going to be pureed anyway, but larger pieces makes it much easier to avoid burning or over cooking during the sauté process.
Nest time you make this recipe, consider doubling the batch - this delicious way to prepare tomato soup always goes faster than expected, especially when served alongside a grilled cheese sandwich!
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bradtmatt says
Every year right before Halloween we do a big family pumpkin carving get together at our house and I make 2 soups and we do grilled cheese sandwiches. This year I tried this bacon tomato soup and let me tell you, this soup did not disappoint. This is one of the best tomato soups I have had.
Thank you for posting this
Chris says
Thank you for commenting Brad! So very glad you all enjoyed the soup!