Cold, rainy days call for cozy sweaters, a good book in hand, and an extra large bowl of tomato soup. Rich, creamy, and chock-full of umami goodness, tomato soup is guaranteed to fill your home with the most exquisite and mouthwatering aromas. While we love a good premade soup in a can from time to time, there’s nothing quite like a homemade tomato soup. And with a grilled cheese on the side? Absolutely non-negotiable. Most tomato soups have an irresistibly smooth and even consistency, which is typically achieved using a high-powered immersion or stand blender. But what if you don’t have a blender to help achieve that velvety, dreamy texture? Don’t worry, as there’s more than one way to transform tomatoes into liquid gold.
Whether you’re working with fresh or canned tomatoes, you can get a luxuriously smooth consistency using a number of common kitchen tools you likely own already. It might take a little bit more elbow grease compared with using a blender, but with some hard work and patience, you will have a comforting bowl of tomato soup that’s just as satisfying as any high-quality restaurant. With this in mind, below are three methods for the perfect texture without any high-tech gadgets.
Mash your way to smoothness with a potato masher or ricer
Despite their names, potato mashers and ricers aren’t just for spuds. These low-tech tools are incredibly versatile, helping to make just about anything a little more smooth. For a rustic take on a homemade tomato soup, we recommend using a potato masher to help break up your tomatoes into smaller pieces. Using a large pot or Dutch oven, cook down your seasonings and aromatics for a few minutes. From there, add in your tomatoes and (carefully) go to town with your potato masher. Repeat this step as your tomatoes simmer until your desired texture has been achieved, and voilà!
The potato masher is great for crushing tomatoes into small bits but it can only go so far. If you want even finer tomato pieces in your soup, try using a potato ricer. We’ve previously shared how you can use a potato ricer to make tomato passata, an uncooked and unseasoned tomato puree that’s commonly consumed in Italian households, and this same logic applies to tomato soup. Once your tomatoes are cooked down or roasted, pass them in small batches through a potato ricer, making sure to collect the tomato puree in a large pot or bowl. As the tomatoes are crushed in the potato ricer, the peels are naturally separated from the tomato mash, making an even smoother soup in the end. No blender, no problem.
Press your tomatoes through a sieve for an even consistency
If you’re looking for an ultra-smooth tomato soup that’s completely lump free, a sieve — also called a fine mesh strainer — is your best friend. Just like with a potato ricer, we’ve previously covered how you can easily make tomato passata with a fine mesh strainer. This is especially useful when stocking up on canned tomatoes, as the whole tomatoes can be easily mashed with a sieve.
Unlike a potato ricer, though, raw tomatoes are quite difficult to use with a fine mesh strainer. To make the straining process easier, roast or cook your tomatoes until they’re soft. From there, using the back of a spoon or ladle, push the softened tomatoes through your fine mesh strainer into a large pot or bowl. Not only does this take large tomato chunks out of your soup, but it also effectively removes any seeds and peels, creating a soup that’s perfectly smooth.
Another method of sieve straining happens once your soup is finished cooking. Simmer your tomato soup as usual on the stove until the tomatoes are cooked down and tender, then carefully run the entire mixture through a sieve in small batches, pressing the larger bits through with a spoon. Depending on the size of your sieve’s holes, you might end up with just liquid, and no pulp. Make sure to use a sieve with large enough holes to allow some pulp to travel through, as this will give your soup a thicker texture.
Use crushed tomatoes or use your hands for a rustic feel
If your kitchen lacks any of the aforementioned tools, don’t fret, as a warm and comforting bowl of homemade tomato soup is still within reach — literally. Simply use your hands to crush the tomatoes into smaller pieces, being sure to collect any tomato juice or pulp in a large container. This method works with any type of tomato, whether it’s fresh or canned, but please make sure that your tomatoes are cool enough to handle. To make things a little easier, you can pre-slice your tomatoes into small, manageable pieces before crushing them with your hands. You won’t have the smoothest soup possible with this method, and it might make a little bit of a mess, but it’ll still be delicious. Just be sure to wash your hands before you get started.
Or, you can skip the need for mashing in general. This can be done by using cans of pre-crushed tomatoes when making homemade tomato soup. After cooking down your aromatics and spices to build a flavor base, simply pour as much canned, pre-crushed tomatoes as your heart desires, and simmer on the stove. As you stir the soup, you could always use your spoon to break up any larger chunks, but this is optional, since the tomatoes will naturally become smaller as they cook. Without mashing, you will have some big chunks in your final product, but it’ll still be packed full of tasty flavor.
