This Creamy Tomato Rice Soup is a comfort-food season winner. Serve it by itself or with a grilled cheese for dunking—you’ll have a cozy meal perfect for chilly fall and winter nights.
Nothing says comfort like a warm bowl of tomato soup. This Creamy Tomato Rice Soup pairs wonderfully with grilled cheese and makes an easy, satisfying meal.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Tomato soup brings back nostalgic memories for many of us. It’s simple, comforting, and a staple of cozy meals. This version is quick to make, and adding rice makes the soup a bit heartier than the classic smooth tomato soup.
It’s ideal for cold-weather dinners but delicious any time of year. The rice adds texture and makes the soup more filling without complicating the recipe.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 6 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 28-oz. can whole plum tomatoes in juice
- 1 28-oz. can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp coarse kosher salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup Minute Instant white rice (cooked separately)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
I use Minute Instant white rice for convenience and cook it according to the package directions before adding it to the soup.
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Cook the rice: Prepare the Minute Instant white rice according to package directions and set aside.
2. Sauté aromatics: Melt the butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook 4–5 minutes until slightly softened, stirring occasionally.
3. Add garlic and flour: Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium, add the flour, and stir until well combined. Cook 1–2 minutes, stirring often so the flour doesn’t brown.
4. Add liquids and tomatoes: Slowly whisk in the vegetable broth. Add both cans of tomatoes (undrained), then stir in the sugar, salt, pepper, and baking soda. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook 15–20 minutes to meld flavors.
5. Finish with cream and puree: Stir in the heavy cream. Puree the soup in small batches in a blender or use an immersion blender until smooth. When using a blender, only process small amounts at a time to prevent hot splashes.
6. Add rice: Stir the cooked rice into the soup. If serving the entire batch immediately, add all the rice to the pot. If you plan to refrigerate or freeze leftovers, place rice in each bowl and ladle soup over it when serving to preserve texture.
A small pinch of baking soda helps neutralize excess acidity in tomatoes and brings out a sweeter, rounder tomato flavor—an easy trick I learned from a food scientist.
This soup is a cozy, comforting recipe that deserves a regular spot on your seasonal menu. If you try it, let the author know how it turned out or ask any questions in the comments.
A Few Cook’s Notes for Creamy Tomato Rice Soup
I use Pacific Foods low-sodium vegetable broth for this recipe, but any low-sodium vegetable broth will work.
Cook the instant rice ahead of time so it’s ready to add when the soup is finished.
More Delicious Soup Recipes to Enjoy
Buffalo Chicken Chili
Lasagna Soup
Classic Cream of Mushroom Soup
Creamy Tomato Rice Soup
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Minute Instant White Rice
- 6 Tbsp. butter
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 28-oz. can whole plum tomatoes in juice
- 1 28-oz. can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp. coarse kosher salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
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Cook the Minute Instant White Rice according to package directions and set aside.
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Melt your butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add your onions and cook for 4-5 minutes until they’re slightly softened, stirring occasionally.
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Add your minced garlic and cook for one additional minute followed by your flour. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the flour until well combined and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often so it doesn’t brown.
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Slowly whisk in your vegetable broth followed by both cans of tomatoes, undrained, as well as your sugar, salt and pepper and baking soda. Let the mixture come to a boil, then you’ll reduce the temperature to a low simmer and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes.
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Add your heavy cream and then pureé the soup in small batches in a blender or use an immersion blender. (Only put small amounts of the hot soup in the blender so as not to have hot soup exploding from the top of the blender.)
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Add your cooked rice to your soup. If you plan on enjoying all the soup at one time, say for your family dinner, you can add all the rice at once to the pot.
If you will only be enjoying a bowl or two and plan to refrigerate or freeze the remainder, then just add some rice to each bowl and ladle the soup on top.
Notes
The rice I use for this recipe is Minute Instant white rice and it’s cooked ahead of time.