Creamy Tomato Corn Soup (With Garlic-Herb Bread!)
Fresh tomatoes meet corn and aromatic spices in this delicious tomato corn soup recipe! Luciously creamy and full of flavor, this soup has the inviting armoma of Fall, all while using up leftover ingredients you already have in your pantry.
This tomato corn soup recipe came about when I was desperately trying to use up leftover ingredients in my kitchen. That’s why you’ll find some of the ingredients in “partial” form—like 2 tbsp marinara sauce, and 2 tbsp cream cheese.
If you don’t have an opened jar of marinara, you can simply leave this out of the soup. This recipe is designed to be flexible to the ingredients in your pantry, so do what works best for you! I’ve included lots of possible substitutions in the ingredients below.
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Ingredients
Olive oil – you can use any neutral cooking oil you have on hand.
Yellow onion – you’ll need one small to medium onion. I’ve also made this soup using shallots because I didn’t have any onions on hand. If you go for this option, add a 1/2 tsp of onion powder too.
Spices – a mix of thmye, herbs de provence and smoked paprika are the perfect mix of flavors for this soup!
Garlic – fresh garlic is always better, but if you don’t have any you can sub garlic powder.
Russet Potatoes – I used 3 large russet potatoes, but use whatever you have on hand.
Plum tomatoes – Likewise, these are the tomatoes I had on hand, but other kinds of tomatoes will work too. If they are roma or larger tomatoes, cut them up into chunks before adding.
Canadian bacon – You can use any type of ham product! I like canadian bacon because it is thicker than lunch meat but thinner than ham steak. However, you can make any leftover ham you have work!
Flour – Adding a few tbsp of flour thickens the soup into a chowder-like consistency. If you prefer this soup to be gluten free, omit the flour or use a gluten free blend.
Chicken broth – You can also use vegetable broth.
Parmesan rind – This is optional but I highly recommend! Simmered with the soup, the rind will add loads of rich flavor.
Fresh herbs – Fresh thyme and parsley in a bouquet garni will add subtle flavors. This can be omited if necessary, but if you have the herbs on hand go for it!
Jarred marinara – Adding just a few tbsp will add a little extra acidity and tomato flavor to the soup. If you don’t have an open jar, you can use more tomatoes, sub tomato sauce, or omit it altogether.
Frozen roasted corn – The corn will be added at the end. It adds a nice sweetness to the soup and complements the other flavors.
Cream cheese – I added just 2 tbsp for a bit of added thickness and creaminess. Feel free to add more or less to your desired consistency and flavor.
Sugar – At the end, you’ll want to taste the soup and see if it needs any extra sweetness.
Serving & Storage
This creamy fresh tomato soup will last for a few days if stored in the fridge in an airtight container. To reheat it, simply put the soup in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until warm.
I do not recommend freezing this soup, since flour and cream cheese do not freeze well. If you want to make this as a meal-prep soup, omit these two ingredients. After defrosted, heat the soup on the stove. You can make a slurry with some flour and the broth to thicken it. Add cream cheese off the heat.
How to Make Tomato Corn Soup
Making this soup at home is not hard to do! This is a one-pot meal, so even though there are a lot of steps, everything goes into the same exact pot!
Step 1:
Take your sprigs of fresh parsley and thyme and tie them together with kitchen twine. Set aside with one bay leaf.
Step 2:
Heat oil in a pot. Once hot, add your aromatics – shallots or onion. Once these are softened, add garlic. Once fragrant, add spices. Cook for a few minutes to let the spices bloom.
Step 3:
Add sliced tomatoes to the pot and cook until tomatoes start to shrivel and release their juices.
Step 4:
Add canadian bacon, diced potatoes, and flour. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until the ham starts to brown.
Step 5:
Next, add the chicken broth, parmesan rind, and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil on high. Cover, and keep the soup on a low boil while letting the potatoes cook for about 15 minutes.
Step 6:
Once the potatoes are fork tender, add the marinara sauce, frozen corn, and sugar if needed. This is where you want to taste your soup and adjust any flavors! Add sugar if it needs more sweetness. Add more marinara or tomato sauce if it needs more acidity. And don’t forget to check for salt levels too!
Step 7:
Let the soup continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes so all the flavors meld together. Meanwhile, make the crostinis: combine the butter, olive oil, and fresh herbs in a small bowl. Cut the bread into strips – about 3 per slice. Use a butter knife to spread the butter-herb mixture over the bread. Air fry at 350 degrees for about 6-8 minutes (or use your desired method for toasting bread).
Step 8:
Prepare the garnish: dice up some extra canadian bacon or lunch meat ham and cook in a little butter until crispy. Set aside with extra parsley and parmesan cheese. Note: garnish is optional, but it is delicious!
Step 9:
After the soup is done simmering, remove the parmsean rind and bouquet garni. Whisk in the softened cream cheese until fully combined (if it looks lumpy, just keep whisking! I promise it will combine!)
Serve up the soup with the garnish and enjoy!
More Soup Recipes to Try:
Creamy Tomato Corn Soup
Ingredients
Soup
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small or medium yellow onion,
- 3 large cloves garlic,
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp herbs de provence
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 large russet potatoes,
- 25-30 plum tomatoes,
- 4 oz of canadian bacon or ham,
- 2 tbsp flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 frozen or fresh parmesan rind
- 3 sprigs fresh parsley, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf
- 2 spoonfuls jarred marinara sauce
- 1-2 tsp sugar
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- Grated parmesan cheese
Crostini
- 3 slices of bread
- 1-1.5 tbsp softened butter
- Drizzle of olive oil
- 3 sprigs fresh parsley + 2 sprigs fresh thyme,
- 1 garlic clove,
Instructions
- Gather your fresh parsley and thyme sprigs and tie together with kitchen twine to form a bouquet garni. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large dutch oven. Once oil is hot, add chopped onions. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook until aromatic, 1-2 minutes.
- Add dried thyme, herbs de provence, salt, and smoked paprika. Allow spices to bloom for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Add the sliced tomatoes to the pot and cook until the tomatoes start to shrivel and release their juices.
- Add canadian bacon/ham, diced potatoes and flour to the pot. Stir well and cook for 3-4 more minutes, or until the ham begins browning.
- Next, add the chicken broth, parmesan rind, and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil on high. Cover, and keep the soup on a low boil for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Once the potatoes are done, add the marinara sauce, frozen corn, and sugar (if needed – see note). Taste and adjust salt and sugar levels.
- Let the soup simmer on low for 10-15 minutes longer to let all the flavors meld together.
- While the soup is simmering, make the crostinis: combine the butter, olive oil, and fresh herbs in a small bowl. Cut the bread into strips – about 3 per slice. Use a butter knife to spread the butter-herb mixture over the bread. Air fry at 350 degrees for about 6-8 minutes (or use your desired method for toasting bread).
- For the garnish (optional): dice up some extra canadian bacon or ham and cook in a little butter until crispy. Set aside with extra parsley and parmesan cheese.
- Back to the soup: after simmering is done, remove the parmesan rind and bouquet garni. Whisk in the softened cream cheese or sour cream until fully combined (if it looks lumpy, just keep whisking! I promise it will combine!)
- Serve soup in bowls topped with garnishes, and crostinis on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- Note on the Sugar: taste the soup after adding the marinara, before adding sugar in. If the marinara sauce you’re using is on the sweet side, you may not need as much (or any) sugar. Personally, the soup tasted a little too acidic so I added in sugar. As long as you taste before adding, you won’t end up with a soup that is too sweet.
- The parmesan rind adds a lot of flavor to this soup. I highly recommend this step! I always freeze mine when I finish a wedge of parm, but if you don’t have one in the freezer, you can cut the rind off of a fresh rind. Just keep an eye on the soup while it is simmering. The rind will start to melt down into the soup. You don’t want big lumps of parmesan. If it seems like it is separating too much, you can remove it from the pot early.
- Use any kind of ham you have on hand! I’ve tried both canadian bacon and lunch meat and they both taste great. You can also try ham steak, leftover holiday ham, etc.
- If you don’t have an open jar of marinara, you can use extra fresh tomatoes, or sub tomato sauce.
- Store this soup in an airtight container in the fridge. Do not freeze unless you omit the flour and cream cheese (add after defrosting instead. Make a slurry with the flour, and add cream cheese off the heat).Â
Conclusion
Tomato corn soup is a delicious comfort food for a Fall or winter afternoon. Use up fresh tomatoes and leftover marinara sauce in a jiffy with this recipe! Or sub ingredients you have in your own pantry. I hope you enjoy this recipe – I had a blast creating it!
