Tomato Bisque

This dish is tailor-made for any occasion. Dress up tomato bisque by pairing a bowlful with a cast-iron skillet steak and an elegant pear and blue cheese salad, or dress it down with a dunkable grilled cheese. Whether it’s date night or alone-with-a-book night, this soup is the right fit.

Our flexible tomato bisque soup recipe uses canned tomatoes, but if it happens to be late summer, don’t be afraid to sub in fresh tomatoes. You’ll get big tomato flavor either way.

What makes a bisque a bisque?

Though the most traditional bisque is made with shellfish using intricate French techniques, it’s common to refer to any thick, creamy soup as a bisque in the United States. If you love tomato bisque and want to try others, consider shrimp bisque or seafood bisque.

On the other hand, tomato soup can be made with a tomato juice base, with vegetable or meat stock, or with milk instead of heavy cream.

Ingredients for Tomato Bisque

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• Celery: A classic ingredient in French bisque, celery lends a brisk, vegetal flavor. Remove the leaves from stalks before cutting, as they are quite bitter.
• Onion: Bringing both sharpness and sweetness to the mix, onions are a workhorse in soup recipes. For this recipe, use a yellow or white onion or a sweet onion such as a Vidalia.
• Red bell pepper: Another sweet ingredient, red bell pepper amps up the bisque’s lovely reddish color.
• Butter: Use salted or unsalted butter to saute your veggies; whatever you have on hand will work. You could also use a rich-tasting cultured butter.
• Canned diced tomatoes: If you have access to an Italian brand of canned tomatoes, those are usually of very high quality. However, pretty much any canned tomato will make a good soup.
• Tomato paste: Why add tomato paste when you’ve already used canned tomatoes? Because paste is a concentrated product that adds tons of punchy tomato flavor.
• Basil: The fresh basil sets this soup apart. There are lots of kinds of basil, but a bold variety like Genovese would be perfect.
• Seasonings: This tomato bisque is simply seasoned with sugar, salt and black pepper so the tomato and basil stand out.
• Cream: Use whipping cream, heavy cream or heavy whipping cream…they’re all close enough to the same thing to be interchangeable in this recipe!

Editor’s Tip: This recipe includes a significant amount of celery. If you’re not a celery fan, start with three stalks and consider increasing the amount next time you make the recipe.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the aromatics

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In a large saucepan, saute the celery, onion and red pepper in butter for five to six minutes or until tender.

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Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes.

Step 2: Finish the bisque

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Remove the soup from the heat and stir in basil, sugar, salt and pepper. Cool slightly.

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Transfer half of the soup to a blender.

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While processing, gradually add the cream. Continue processing until smooth. Return the pureed soup to the pan and heat through, but do not boil.

Editor’s Tip: If you prefer a smooth bisque, you can puree the second half of the soup, then combine it with the half that includes the cream. Don’t try to puree the whole batch at once; it’s unsafe to fill a blender more than halfway full of hot liquid.

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Recipe Variations

• Use a different dairy: For a touch more tang, skip the heavy cream and lighten this soup with sour cream or crème fraîche, melt in a block of cream cheese or whisk in a nice mild goat cheese.
• Stir in more fresh herbs: Most fresh herbs pair beautifully with tomatoes and would work well in this recipe. I would include parsley, tarragon, sage or oregano.
• Include seafood: Tomato bisque makes an amazing base for a seafood soup. Just cook fish or shellfish lightly and add it to the soup just before serving. Shrimp, scallops, lobster and crab are perfect choices.

How to Store Tomato Bisque

Because it’s acidic, tomato bisque keeps better than many other soups. Store it in tightly sealed containers and use within four days.

Can you freeze tomato bisque?

Typically, freezing a cream-based soup is a no-go. However, you could make and freeze the tomato base—puree the first half without including the whipping cream—and add the cream after reheating the soup. If stored properly, most soups will keep for around three months in the freezer. Here’s everything you need to know about freezing soup!

How do you reheat tomato bisque?

The key word when talking about how to reheat cream soups is “gently.” If you allow a bisque to boil, it can curdle. If you’re reheating tomato bisque from the fridge, do it gently over low heat, stirring regularly.

If you freeze the bisque, you’ll add the cream after reheating, so you can be a bit less cautious. Thaw the soup overnight in the fridge, and heat it when ready. Once the soup has reached a simmer, remove it from the heat, whisk in the cream and enjoy.

Tomato Bisque Soup Tips

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What kinds of garnishes work on tomato bisque?

Simple garnishes work best on this type of soup. Try a sprinkle of minced fresh herbs, cayenne or smoked paprika, or a dollop of sour cream. For some crunch, a handful of homemade croutons would be wonderful.

What can you serve with tomato bisque?

Tomato bisque pairs well with many other classic French bistro dishes. Serve it alongside a Niçoise salad, a slice of quiche Lorraine or a simple salad and crusty French loaf for an elegant lunch. For a dinner party, match the bisque with an herb-crusted rack of lamb or a roasted chicken.