The Best Tomato Bisque For The Win!
It’s hard to imagine that there could be a more perfect food than tomato soup, but this recipe for easy tomato bisque will likely win hearts the next time you make it! What’s so great about it you may ask? It’s creamy and sophisticated yet the kids won’t even know it’s packed with onions, carrots, and tomatoes! In about 30 minutes, you’ll have an easy, homemade tomato bisque that can be turned into a quick dinner when paired with grilled cheese, roasted vegetables, or even a simple salad. Better yet, almost all of the ingredients can be found in your fridge or kitchen pantry! It’s truly impressive how simple this tomato bisque is, so much so that we could go on and on raving about it! Rather, we’ll let you try it for yourself.
What Constitutes a Bisque?
Think of it as tomato soup’s, older, elevated, French cousin. And leave it to the French (known for their inspirational use of dairy products) to add cream to soup to make it extra rich. If you’re wondering what is the difference between tomato soup and a bisque, originally a bisque was a combination of seafood and heavy cream. Now, it’s most commonly known as a puréed soup that has been enriched with dairy while, a tomato soup, usually uses a veggie stock without the use of whole milk or cream. In our tomato bisque recipe, the cream adds a silky, luxurious texture giving it a more full-bodied feel. There’s also sautéed carrots and onions, chicken stock, canned tomatoes, and fresh basil for many levels of deliciousness. We promise, this bisque is worth writing home about.
Is Tomato Bisque Good For You?
Since this is a French cooking technique, we’ll also follow their “everything in moderation” lead when it comes to dairy! With that being said, tomatoes actually contain a bright red carotenoid, lycopene, which is a very powerful cancer fighting antioxidant and high amounts of Vitamin C. They are one of the few veggies (well, technically fruits!) that when heated, their bioavailability increases meaning an uptake in nutrients! PLUS, we guarantee not only will homemade soup taste better than canned tomato soup, BUT it’s better for you as well! We can absolutely eat to that! Sometimes a cream-laden soup is just what the soul needs, and for that reason, we agree that tomato bisque is indeed very good for you.
What Goes Well With Tomato Bisque?
Served alone, creamy tomato bisque makes for a perfect, light appetizer. But, teamed up, the bisque comes alive! For lunch, we love tomato bisque served with our fresh Simple Green Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette, Easy Niçoise Salad or the perfect cozy accompaniment, Maple Roasted Squash Salad. Of course, tomato’s natural paring is cheese: fried cheese , the Perfect Grilled Cheese, or Keto Ham and Cheese Pockets would be excellent. Get fancy with it: try a Roasted Rhubarb and Chevre Grilled Cheese. To round out the meal, pair it with another veggie such as Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Braised Greens with Golden Raisins and Maple, or Rosemary Roasted Potatoes.
How To Make Homemade Tomato Bisque
Cook your veggies! Start with butter, carrots, and onion in a 5 quart pot and cook until translucent. You’ll start to smell the flavors meld together!
Add tomatoes, bay leaves, olive oil, salt, pepper and chicken stock. Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer!
Herbs for the win! Add a few fresh basil leaves and purée the soup in a blender or using an immersion blender.
Are you ready to bisque? Return the soup to the pot and stir in the cream until smooth and velvety.
Serve with a garnish of fresh basil, and a swirl of cream. Voilà!
Tools You’ll Need
Did Someone Say Bisque?
There’s plenty of ways to bisque up a soup, and we have a few other ideas up our sleeves! Check out our 30 Best Soup Recipes for when you’re craving a warm cozy bowl or dig into these comforting dishes:
Soup’s On!
As the temperature drops outside, keep it warm inside! In no time you’ll have a delicious bowl of tomato bisque (and maybe a grilled cheese, too!) Snap a photo before you dive in and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy Eating!
