Maybe you’re accustomed to tomato soup as a smooth and brothy thing that needs a grilled cheese dipper alongside it to carry you through to dinner time. Well this, my friends, this is a horse (or soup) of a different color. It’s still tomato soup, but it’s thick and studded with savory crumbled sausage that’s both hearty and flavorful and also adorned with cream cheese that disappears into the broth but leaves it velvety and creamy as can be. It’s not a snacky soup, it’s a meal in itself, and it’s utterly comforting and satisfying.
It starts with sauteed onions which – more importantly – are quickly followed by crumbled Italian sausage. You can thank that sausage for this soup’s hearty nature, but also for the slightly spicy, savory quality it lends to it. Tomato puree and crushed tomatoes go into the pot, along with some chicken broth. If you go with the bare minimum of broth here – one cup – you will end up with a thick soup. Feel free to bump up the quantity of broth as needed to get the consistency you like best.
If you stopped there, it would be a delightfully savory and tomato-ey soup, but the addition of Parmesan and cream cheese means that you end up with something that’s irresistibly creamy and just a little bit cheesy. A bowl of beautiful brothy tomato soup is one thing, but this recipe takes all of those best qualities and makes a full meal out of it.
Sausage & Tomato Cream Cheese Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb uncooked Italian sausage
- 1 small white onion, thinly sliced
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato puree
- 1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1-3 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 cup cream cheese, chopped and softened
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
Preparation
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until starting to soften, 4-5 minutes.
- Add sausage meat, breaking up with a spatula, and cook until no longer pink. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and dried basil and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 10-15 minutes.
- Add cream cheese and half of the parmesan cheese and stir until melted. If a thinner consistency is desired, add more chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve topped with remaining parmesan and fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Savory Nothings.