Tomato bisque is the elegant, irresistible upgrade to basic tomato soup. It’s so rich, creamy, and flavorful that once you taste it, you won’t ever go back.
Unlike the classic French version, which is traditionally thickened with shellfish stock, our take embraces a more approachable, modern twist. We build depth with a blend of vegetable and chicken broth, but stir in something that might make purists cringe. Cream cheese paired with a generous splash of heavy cream creates a luscious, velvety texture that feels sinfully indulgent.
At its heart, this bisque is all about comfort and familiarity. Slow-cooked tomatoes mingle with aromatic onions, sweet carrots, and plenty of garlic, delivering the rich, savory flavor you expect from a timeless tomato soup—only deeper, silkier, and far more satisfying.
It’s delicious the moment it’s finished, but like all great soups, it only gets better overnight. Serve it alongside homemade gougères or a classic grilled cheese for a cozy meal, or simply enjoy it on its own. It doesn’t need anything extra to shine.
Let’s Make Tomato Bisque
Place your onions and carrots in a heavy bottomed pot with the butter and olive oil. Cover and sweat them on medium heat for 5 minutes until they begin to soften and season with a pinch of salt and pepper and stir.
Cover and cook 5 more minutes then uncover, add the tomato paste and cook for 10 minutes stirring constantly to prevent burning.
Add the crushed tomatoes with juices, stir and cook 15 more minutes.
Thoroughly stir in the chicken and vegetable broth, turn up the heat and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and skim off the fat, if any.
Pour your soup into your blender. Add the cream cheese to the blender and blend on high until everything is emulsified. Clean your soup pot to remove any burned or thickened ingredients and pour the emulsified bisque back into the soup pot on low heat.
Stir in the heavy cream until it is fully incorporated into the soup. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
Tomato Bisque
Modern tomato bisque with onion, garlic, carrot and cream cheese!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 90
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion – chopped
- 2 carrots – peeled and coined
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- 28–30 oz crushed roma tomatoes
- 6 oz (1) can tomato paste
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 TBL olive oil
- 2 TBL butter
- Sea salt – to taste
- Ground black pepper – to taste
Instructions
- Place your onions and carrots in a heavy bottomed pot with the butter and olive oil
- Cover and sweat them on medium heat for 5 minutes until they begin to soften, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and stir
- Cover and cook 5 more minutes, then uncover, add the tomato paste and cook for 10 minutes stirring constantly to prevent burning
- Add the crushed tomatoes with juices, stir and cook 15 more minutes and thoroughly stir in the chicken and vegetable broth
- Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes, then remove from the heat and skim off the fat, if any
- Pour your soup into your blender. Add the cream cheese to the blender and blend on high until everything is emulsified
- Clean your soup pot to remove any burned or thickened ingredients and pour the emulsified bisque back into the soup pot on low heat
- Stir in the heavy cream until it is fully incorporated into the soup and adjust the salt and pepper to taste