DAIRY-FREE Tomato Bisque Soup

This post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.

Several years ago we planted our first garden.  It was a humble 4’x4’ raised bed with green onions, strawberries and, of course, tomatoes (the home gardener’s gateway plant). Our tomatoes grew and ripened faster than we could eat them, so I searched Pinterest for new recipes that my son with food allergies could eat.

I stumbled upon a recipe for tomato bisque soup, and it quickly became a family favorite! More recently it’s become a hit with friends, but when they ask me for this recipe, the original link is no longer valid - it’s gone! I can’t even find a similar recipe anywhere.  So, I end up writing it down for them.  The good news is I’ve made this soup so much that I stopped using the recipe and started to make it by feel. Instead of carefully measuring out the ingredients, I sprinkle them until it feels right.  And because of this, I can claim it as my own recipe, right?  That said, I’m excited to share my favorite soup recipe with you! 

Jump to Recipe

This soup is so simple (the hardest part is chopping veggies in the beginning) and it is a great one to adjust and experiment with as you like. Before we get to the actual recipe, I do have a couple quick tips to make sure you have a fabulous meal.​

Let’s Talk Tomatoes
You may use whatever form of tomatoes you have on hand (crushed, diced, fresh, paste, etc), but if using fresh, they need to be peeled. The peel won’t puree smoothly - it curls up into funky tomato-skin-spears. You can peel them with a standard vegetable peeler, but I’ve found the easiest way is to parboil them. Get several inches of water boiling in a pot on the stovetop. Slice an X on the bottom of your tomatoes - not very deep into the flesh, just enough that the boiling water can get under the skin and loosen it. Let the tomato boil for a minute or two; remove with a slotted spoon and allow to cool for a minute before handling. The peel will slide off. Core and chop the tomato to get it ready for your soup.

Hi, I’m Herb
My philosophy about selecting herbs is the same as selecting your tomatoes--just use what ya’ got!  My go-to herbs are parsley, basil, and/or oregano (if I have fresh herbs, I definitely prefer those), but I never measure them. So, whether you use dried or fresh herbs, give a free hand when you season your soup - you’ll have plenty of flavor!  

To Dairy or Not to Dairy…?
When I first discovered this recipe, it appealed to me because it was dairy free.  While our recipe uses coconut milk instead of dairy for the creaminess, you are certainly welcome to substitute cream (though, the coconut milk is really good - trust me). Also, this soup freezes really well because it’s dairy free… more on that in a minute.

Some of my kids won’t eat vegetables, either...
While you can’t tell by the looks of the final product, this recipe is packed with vegetables, which makes me feel great about feeding it to my kids.  If you have picky eaters, my suggestion would be to include them in the cooking process - they might be willing to try it!

Flour Power!!
No one in our family has a gluten intolerance, but I have on occasion made this recipe gluten free by using almond flour in place of wheat flour. The only purpose of the flour is to thicken the soup, so you could also replace the flour with cornstarch or another potato. Have I mentioned that this is a really flexible recipe?

All blenders are not made equal
If you have one, use an immersion blender to puree the soup right in the stock pot. While I don’t advise it, you can use a standard blender, but you will need to blend it in small batches. The first time I made the soup, I didn’t understand: the top blew off my blender and boiling soup spattered over my whole counter and onto me and the small child who was helping me cook. No one was seriously injured, but I found out why to use small batches: when you put hot liquids in an enclosed blender, lots of steam is released when you hit the blend button - it’ll blow the top off the blender! We recently had to replace our old immersion blender and the new one has so much more power - I’m so excited to get to use it more!

Meat is Optional
To keep this soup vegetarian/vegan, feel free to use vegetable broth. However, I make homemade bone broth that has tons of flavor and extra nutrients. And to make this a full meal for us, I usually serve it with shredded chicken (again, optional). Did you know that you can quickly shred chicken with just a hand or stand mixer? I only learned this a few years ago, and it has made meal prep sooo much easier. I buy the family pack of chicken breasts from Aldi, trim the fat off, and boil all the breasts in a large pot of water. After 20 minutes of boiling, slice through the thick part of the largest breast to be sure it is cooked all the way through. Drain the water and shred the chicken right in the pot.  Consider adding seasonings, like salt, while you’re mixing it all. Then, separate the meat into containers or zipper bags designated for specific meals (tacos, BBQ sandwiches, soups, quesadillas, jambalaya, etc).

Save for seconds!
This recipe makes a lot - about 12 servings. I always love having leftovers for the next day, but this soup also freezes really well because it uses coconut milk, instead of cream. You can freeze it in a large zipper bag, but I recommend freezing in individual portions. I use disposable cups and measure out a serving into each (about a cup). Put all the cups on a cookie sheet and place the cookie sheet in the freezer overnight. Then, pop the soup cubes out and store in a zipper bag. Take one out for a single meal, or deliver a few to a friend who needs a meal!

Add an hour to prep time if kids are cooking with you
This summer, I had high hopes of the learning that the kids and I would do together… One “project” is that the Bigs would learn to cook a real meal. I haven’t done a very good job getting us to focus on much learning this summer, but all the kids love to cook with me; so, it wasn’t hard to convince William to help me with this recipe. He has such a sweet spirit and is amazingly patient  and persistent. He peeled and chopped the carrots and a potato; then he measured, poured, stirred, and blended everything possible. He already cooks eggs on the stove regularly (pretty much independently, too) in the mornings. With a little bit of kitchen-time every day, he’s going to be a huge help very soon!

I’d love to hear what your favorite soups are!  What foods would you like for your kids to be able to make themselves? How have you introduced them to cooking?

 

Tomato Bisque Soup