Vegan tomato soup with homemade crispy croutons is a quick and easy meal to throw together on a busy weeknight! Making use of canned tomatoes gives it great flavor without a long cooking time.
Tomato soup is a classic for a reason. It’s cozy, warm, comforting, and goes well with…..bread! Have a cold? Eat some tomato soup. In a hurry? Heat up some tomato soup. Need something cozy? Tomato soup! It works for all occasions!
How do you make Vegan Tomato Soup?
It’s really easy to make tomato soup! Starting with the “holy trinity” of carrots, onions, and celery gives the soup a more well rounded flavor. I use a red onion for a little extra sweetness to offset the acidity of the tomatoes. The sweet carrots help with this as well! I add rosemary to give it some herby goodness—basil or thyme would also be yummy! To make the soup a little thicker and “creamier” I skip the dairy subs, and keep it nut free by using a couple of slices of good crusty bakery bread. The simple ingredients come together for really great flavor.
Canned tomatoes in Tomato Soup?
Yes! Canned are perfect for year round soup making! I love a fresh garden tomato as much as the next girl, but the reality is that they don’t grow year round here in Seattle. Canned tomatoes are canned on the day they’re picked, so they are full of flavor, making tomato soup possible every day of the year! They also don’t need to cook down for such a long time, which makes this a recipe well suited for a weeknight! (I prefer regular canned tomatoes, not fire roasted in this recipe.)
An ode to the immersion blender….
Irving and I will celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary later this year….which also means I’m celebrating a 15 year love affair with my immersion blender. It might possibly be the most used gift we received, and I think of the lovely couple who gifted it to us every time I use it (which is at least once a week!). While you absolutely can transfer hot soups into the blender, using an immersion blender right in the pot is less messy, less risky, and so easy! I also use my smaller Dutch oven when making this soup to ensure that the soup is “deep” enough for easy blending.
Nut free!
Lots of vegan tomato soup recipes use blended cashews for their creaminess. With Jonny’s cashew allergy, cashews are obviously a no go for us. But I also think using slices of bread in the soup are an easy option because you’re already using the bread for croutons as well. Just a couple of slices simmered right in the soup, and then blended, make a perfectly creamy soup!
Crispy Croutons
Our favorite way to serve tomato soup is with fresh crispy croutons. Grilled cheese is great, but have you tried homemade croutons? They’re the best. I simply cube up a few slices of some crusty bakery bread, liberally drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt, and toast in a big cast iron skillet. They’re SO good. Don’t skimp on the olive oil—you need that crispy goodness! And be sure to take the extra step of tossing the bread cubes with the oil in a bowl before toasting them in the skillet—it really helps to coat them more evenly for better browning!
More Simple Soup Recipes You Will Love
- Taco Soup
- Barley Soup with White Beans and Kale
- Restaurant Style Vegan Lentil Soup
- Vegan Black Bean Soup
- Vegan French Onion Soup
- Barley Minestrone Soup
- Pumpkin Curry Soup
Let’s Make Vegan Tomato Soup!
Are you ready for some yummy tomato soup? How about some crispy croutons? You’ve come to the right place! Give this easy recipe a try and let me know how you like it in the comments below!
Vegan Tomato Soup with Crispy Croutons
Ingredients
For the Tomato Soup:
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 small sprig rosemary
- 1/4 cup parsley (1 large handful)
- 1 bay leaf
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
- 4 cups water
- 2 large slices of crusty bakery bread
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Crispy Croutons:
- loaf crusty bakery bread (about one 1" slice per person)
- olive oil
- salt
Instructions
For the Tomato Soup:
- In a medium pot, heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.
- Sauté onions, carrots, and celery for 10 minutes.
- Serve with croutons. Large loaf of bread cubed. Toss with olive oil and half teaspoon salt. Cook in pan for 10 minutes until crispy and brown.
- Add rosemary, parsley, bay leaf and stir well.
- Add the bread slices and stir again.
- Add water and salt, stir well, and bring to a boil.
- Allow to simmer for about 25 minutes, or until carrots are fork tender.
- Remove from heat. Remove the bay leaf and the sprig of rosemary (leaves will have fallen off).
- Using an immersion blender, or carefully transferring to a regular blender, blend until smooth.
For the Crispy Croutons:
- While the soup is cooking, prepare the croutons.
- Dice the bread into large 1" cubes.
- Place them into a bowl and drizzle liberally with olive oil (I use 1+ Tablespoon for 4 thick slices of bread, cubed). Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix well.
- Cook in a large skillet over medium heat, tossing frequently, until the croutons are golden brown.
- Remove from heat and serve with the tomato soup.
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