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I love making homemade tomato soup from scratch. The process is so satisfying and the resulting creamy and delicious soup hits the spot every time.
However for those times when I am craving tomato soup but lacking fresh tomatoes, I'll open my pantry and pull out canned tomato soup.
Then it's time to work a little magic with that can of soup using just a few ingredients. Yes, it's possible to elevate canned tomato soup, and I'll show you a great way to do so.
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Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce - The Inspiration For This Recipe
A few months ago I discovered Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce. Marcella Hazan was an Italian cookbook author whose books were translated into English. She is credited with introducing Italian cooking techniques to audiences in the United States and her Tomato Sauce With Onion and Butter was such a revelation to me!
Mrs. Hazan's recipe is the inspiration for the recipe for Elevated Canned Tomato Soup that I am excited to share with you here.
So if you're wondering how to make canned tomato soup better, you've come to the right place!
How To Make Canned Tomato Soup Better
Tomato soup cans are pantry staples. These soups are pretty good as prepared per can instructions. However, you can use the humble canned tomato soup as the base for an impressive and elevated tomato soup!
Mrs. Hazan uses canned tomatoes, butter, and onion in her famous tomato sauce recipe. So that's what we are going to do here, using canned condensed tomato soup instead of canned tomatoes.
The onion will be cooked gently in our recipe with the other ingredients. Cooking it gently helps the onion to release its flavor into the soup. We'll remove the onion at the end of cooking the soup.
And the butter? Well I'm of the opinion that butter makes everything taste better! Butter gives you a velvety and creamy richness. People sometimes add heavy cream or milk to their tomato soups, which is perfectly fine. However, I think butter can't be beat!
I like to add a couple of garnishes to my bowl of tomato soup. One is parsley. The wonderful green herb gives it a pop of color (quite Christmasy!) and is delightful.
The second garnish is prosciutto. You could also use serrano ham. Take a thin slice of this melt in your mouth ham and tear it into small pieces and add it to your soup. Pure heaven if you ask me!
Finally, a splash of sherry vinegar, or balsamic if you prefer. This adds a little acidic tang to the soup, and finishes it off perfectly.
I've used the Classic Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup for this recipe. The main ingredients in Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup are tomato puree (water and tomato paste) and water. Campbell's cans of condensed tomato soup contain 6 whole tomatoes in each can.
Are you ready to make an impressive tomato soup using a pantry staple? Then let's gather up our ingredients and have some fun!
🥘 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this creamy soup from canned tomato soup:
- Tomato soup (condensed) from a can - I used Campbell's Tomato Soup
- Chicken broth or vegetable stock (unsalted)
- Butter
- Onion
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Serrano ham (highly suggested and delicious garnish; can sub prosciutto)
- Parsley (garnish); can also use fresh basil
- Sherry vinegar (just a splash! can use balsamic vinegar if you prefer)
🔪 Instructions
It's super easy to make this impressive and easy tomato soup!
Begin by emptying the condensed tomato soup into a small saucepan and place it on your stove set to medium low heat. Add the chicken broth, butter, and onion halves to the tomato soup.
Get the contents of the saucepan to a low simmer (adjust the heat if necessary), and melt the butter. Then simmer gently uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring every so often. Don't allow the soup to boil.
Remove the onion at this time. (I like to save the onion and eat it later it's got great flavor!). Now add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. You'll most likely just need a pinch of each.
And now comes the perfect finishing touches! Garnish with small pieces of serrano ham, fresh herbs such as parsley or basil, and a splash of sherry vinegar.
Suggestions For Serving
It seems like you can't have tomato soup without a grilled cheese sandwich. 😁 So I highly recommend serving your soup with a sandwich overflowing with ooey gooey cheese! There's almost nothing better!
You can also serve it with a nice crusty bread of your choice if you prefer, along with a beautiful green salad.
Red pepper flakes or some cayenne pepper wouldn't go amiss if you like your soup a little spicy.
However you decide to serve it, be sure to savor every sip of your delicious hot soup. All the while exclaiming "I can't believe this came out of a can!"
FAQ
Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in your refrigerator and consume within 3 days.
If you are using a condensed tomato soup, you can sub broth, milk, or some cream instead of water. I also recommend simmering it with butter and onions for around 30 minutes, and then add some salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Add fresh herbs, some prosciutto, and a splash of sherry vinegar for the perfect finishing touch!
A few red pepper flakes and/or some cayenne pepper are the perfect ingredients to add to tomato soup to make it spicy.
Some Other Recipes You May Enjoy!
Here are some other recipes you may enjoy:
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Grace
How To Elevate Canned Tomato Soup
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
- 10.75 oz tomato soup condensed; I used Campbell's Tomato Soup
- 10.75 oz chicken broth can sub vegetable stock; fill the empty tomato soup can with the broth to arrive at the amount needed for this recipe
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion halved
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
- pinch garlic powder
Suggested Garnishes
- 1 slice prosciutto cut or torn into small pieces (can sub serrano ham)
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped; can also sub fresh basil
- sherry vinegar add a splash!
Instructions
- Empty the condensed tomato soup into a small saucepan and place it on your stove set to medium low heat. Add the chicken broth, butter, and onion halves to the tomato soup.
- Get the contents of the saucepan to a low simmer (adjust the heat if necessary), and melt the butter. Then simmer gently uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring every so often. Don't allow the soup to boil.
- Remove the onion at this time. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. You'll most likely just need a pinch of each. Garnish with small pieces of serrano ham, fresh herbs such as parsley or basil, and a splash of sherry vinegar.
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