This Tomato Soup with Cheese Dumplings is so delicious. It's a hearty meal all on its own with the substantial dumplings complimenting the light sweetness of the soup. It's gonna make winter extra awesome.
I grew up on Campbell's condensed tomato soup and grilled cheese on white bread with Velveeta cheese. To me, it's the ultimate comfort food, and to this day, it's all I want when I'm struck down with a cold. What I really want is for my mom to bring it to me on the couch while I watch daytime TV, but that's impossible. So I settle for standing over the stove to make it for myself while feeling a little extra pathetic.
I've tried to make other tomato soup recipes calling for fresh tomatoes, but when your brain associates tomato soup with ultra smooth, sweet, and creamy, it can be difficut to satisfy that urge with anything else. This recipe, though, really hit the spot. It's my new grown up version of grilled cheese and tomato soup. Except for when I have a cold.
What makes Tomato Soup with Cheese Dumplings so awesome?
This tomato soup is made with canned tomatoes, and let me tell you why that's better. First of all, it's much easier on you as the cook, but also, unless you're working with homegrown tomatoes, canned is actually fresher. Those tomatoes went straight from the field to their preservation, conserving their peak flavor. Grocery store tomatoes have been on ships and trucks and shelves for weeks sometimes, losing a bit of their flavor every day. This soup is getting you the real tomato goodness. It's bright and sweet and smooth and delicious.
The dumplings are definitely on the heavy side, but they take the place of any bread you might usually dip in your soup. They're cheesy and savory with a hearty texture. I love digging into a bit of dumpling with each bite of soup. They're the perfect companion for each other. I think this soup is special enough for a cozy winter dinner, and the dumplings make it substantial enough that you wouldn't have room for much else. It's so tasty, it would be hard to follow anyway. You'll save room for dessert.
Magical Properties of Basil
Tomato and basil are a match made in culinary heaven. Basil is a powerfully magical herb that brings hit of prosperity and protection to any spell. Ruled by Mars, the elements of air and fire, and the zodiac sign Scorpio, this verdent green plant can be used in spells for success, peace, love, luck, and harmony. It's got a diverse array of magical properties making it indispensible at your altar as well as in your kitchen.
To learn more about the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.
Ingredients
Here's everything you'll need to make this soup. The full details are in the recipe card below.
- Olive oil - or your favorite oil to cook with
- Butter
- Onion
- Sweet potato - half a big one or a whole small one
- Garlic
- Ground cinnamon
- Basil - fresh is best
- Canned tomatoes - chopped tomatoes are ideal, but you'll be blending the soup, souse what you got
- Stock - vegetable or chicken stock will both work, depending on whether or not you want this to be vegetarian
- Sugar
- Cream - single or light cream
- Salt and pepper
- Breadcrumbs
- Baking powder
- Cheddar cheese - very mature or extra sharp so that it's a bit more crumbly
- Mustard powder
- Dried oregano
- Egg
- Cream cheese
Tips for making Tomato Soup with Cheese Dumplings
What makes this soup so awesome is the way we build flavor. It looks like a lot of ingredients, but each one is part of the magic of creating a deliciously layered soup. That being said, you're still just dumping stuff in a pot and boiling it.
You'll start by sauteeing your onion and sweet potato to soften, then adding garlic, cinnamon, and herbs to develop their flavor. Then add in the tomatoes and stock, and boil it all together for about 20 minutes. Then blend your soup with an immersion blender or standard blender until smooth. Return it to the pot, taste and adjust seasonings, and stir in the cream.
While the soup is simmering, you can mix up your dumpling mixture. This will be very stiff, so I suggesting working it all together with a rubber spatula. Divide your dumpling mixture into 8 roughly equal portions (I'm terrible at this) and roll them into balls.
When the soup is finished, drop in your dumplings and let them simmer in the soup for about 10 minutes to swell up and cook through. Serve your soup and dumplings with a sprinkle of extra cheese and some fresh basil.
Nothing will ever replace my childhood favorite, but grown up me definitely loves this Tomato Soup with Cheese Dumplings. You can bet I'll be making it again and again. It's that awesome.
Looking for more awesome soup recipes? Try this Vegan Sweet Corn & Roasted Bell Pepper Soup, or some Easy Leek & Potato Soup.
PrintTomato Soup with Cheese Dumplings
This Tomato Soup with Cheese Dumplings is so delicious. It's a hearty meal all on its own with the substantial dumplings complimenting the light sweetness of the soup. It's gonna make winter extra awesome.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: British
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 25 grams (1 ½ tablespoons) butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- ½ sweet potato, peeled and chopped small
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, torn
- 2 400 gram/14 ounce cans chopped tomatoes
- 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 50 ml (¼ cup) single or light cream
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the dumplings:
- 125 grams (4 ounces) dried breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 75 grams (2 ½ ounces) mature or sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 egg
- 50 grams (2 ounces) cream cheese
Instructions
For the soup:
- Heat your olive oil and butter in a large pot, then add the onion and sweet potato and cook over low heat for about 5-10 minutes to soften. The larger you chopped your vegetables, the longer it will take.
- Stir in the garlic and cinnamon and cook for about a minute until fragrant.
- Add the basil and tomatoes, followed by the chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture up to a boil, then turn the heat down, put the lid on the pot, and let it all simmer together for about 20 minutes.
- Blend your soup with an immersion blender or regular jug blender until smooth. Return to the pot if necessary. Taste the soup and add sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.
For the dumplings:
- While your soup is simmering, make your dumplings by combining all ingredients in a mixing bowl. This will be a very stiff mixture. Form the mixture into 8 balls and set aside until your soup is ready.
- To cook the dumplings, gently drop them into the finished soup. You'll do this after you've blended it and stirred in cream and additional seasonings because you don't want to stir the soup once the dumplings are added. Let the dumplings simmer in the soup for about 10 minutes. They'll puff up a bit but still be quite dense.
- To serve, scoop 2 dumplings into each bowl, then cover with soup. Sprinkle an extra bit of cheese and some fresh basil on top if desired.
Recipe slightly adapted from Ultimate Comfort Food by The Hairy Bikers.
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