There is nothing like a whole hearty soup when it is cold outside. Perfect for cozying up on the couch, turning on the tv and being under a blanket. This delicious tomato bisque recipe gives you just that.
What is the difference between a tomato bisque and tomato soup?
The difference is the creamy texture which is given by adding heavy cream to the bisque. Where as compared to a tomato soup that is slightly more watery and lacks the creamy velvety texture a bisque has.
What kind of tomatoes do you use for this bisque?
I personally love to use crushed tomatoes from a can. I know that there are many people who like to use real whole tomatoes but to be honest, it is a lot more work and we all live busy lifestyles so I think it is okay if we take a shortcut on this one. Plus you can always use organic tomatoes to make yourself feel slightly better.
How do you make a tomato bisque?
The first thing you are going to do is cook your diced bacon. This is going to give you the oil that you are going to cook your onions, celery, and garlic in. It’s also going to give you a nice hint of bacon flavor in your soup. Once your bacon is done, remove the bacon bits (put them aside to be used later) and add your diced onions, celery and garlic, cook them for about five minutes until they are soft. After, add your flour to make somewhat of a roux and cook for about one minute. From here you are going to add your crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, black pepper, thyme, salt, bay leaves, and basil. Stir to combine and bring to a boil and then lower the heat to allow the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the soup from becoming burnt on the bottom. After the 20 minutes, remove the bay leaves and basil and add in your heavy cream. For the next part you can either use an immersion blender or an actual blender but you are going to want to blend the soup until it is smooth and velvety.
Ingredients
- 10 strips of bacon diced
- 1 ¼ cup of onions diced
- ½ cup of celery diced
- 3 cloves of garlic diced
- 4 tbsp of flour
- 4 cups of chicken stock
- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp of black pepper
- ½ tsp of thyme
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 5 fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup of heavy cream
- Croutons optional
- Feta cheese optional
Instructions
- Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat and once hot add your diced bacon. Cook until crispy. About 10 minutes.
- Once cooked, remove the bacon bits, leaving the oil from the bacon behind and add your diced onions and celery. Cook for about three minutes. After, add your diced garlic and cook for one minute.
- Next, add your flour to make somewhat of a roux and cook for about one minute.
- Then, add your crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, salt, black pepper, thyme, bay leaves, and basil. Stir to combine and bring to a boil and then lower the heat to allow the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the soup from becoming burnt on the bottom.
- After the 20 minutes, remove the bay leaves and basil and add in your heavy cream. (If you wish to have a creamier soup, feel free to add more heavy cream.)
- For the next part you can either use an immersion blender or an actual blender but you are going to want to blend the soup until it is smooth and velvety. Once blended, adds your bacon bits back in ( the ones you removed from earlier. Save some to top off each soup) and stir to combine.
- Serve with extra bacon bits, croutons, feta cheese, or any other toppings you desire!
OMGGGG!!! This tomato bisque is to die for!! My entire family has been asking me to make it again! It’s so creamy and warm and just perfect for any night! I paired it with a grilled cheese and it was perfect!