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top view of homemade copycat Panera tomato soup
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Homemade Tomato Soup (Panera's CopyCat; Instant Pot friendly)

Course Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 8 cups
Calories 152kcal
Author Marie

Equipment

  • Instant Pot (optional)
  • Blender or immersion blender

Ingredients

  • 3.5 pounds crushed and/OR whole tomatoes (diced with juices) two 28-ounces cans or fresh or mixed canned and fresh (need ~3.5 pounds total)
  • 1 cup sweet onions , sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic , smashed
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon oregano
  • ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ¼ cup heavy cream

Optional for serving

  • croutons see notes to make homemade
  • pesto
  • grated cheese

Instructions

  • In a large saute pan, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat and stir to combine.
  • Add onions and garlic and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes just until the onions have become translucent. Using Instant Pot, use the saute feature. Otherwise, on stovetop, heat over medium high heat.
  • After onions have become translucent, add tomatoes, sugar, salt, oregano, and red pepper and stir well.
  • Cover and heat over low heat for 1 hour on stovetop OR using manual pressure, cook for 20 minutes in Instant Pot.
  • Remove from heat, pour into blender and blend until smooth. If using Instant Pot, use manual release. Instead of blender, I like to use an immersion blender (ie, a stick blender)
  • Stir in milk or cream if using and serve.
  • Garnish with croutons, pesto, or grated cheese if desired

Notes

Use a high-quality brand of tomato (RedPack is one of my favorites but it's sometimes hard to find. Imported tomatoes or San Marzanos are very good)
To make seasoned croutons, cube pieces of a sturdy bread like Italian, French or sourdough. Toss into melted butter and olive oil (1 to 2 tablespoon of each) and add salt and pepper with optional dried herbs like parsley, basil, rosemary. You can also add garlic powder. Cook in a hot pan over medium low heat until browned, tossing intermittently. 
Storage: refrigerate leftovers for 2 to 3 days; freeze soup for up to 6 months (omit dairy if freezing).

Nutrition

Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 482mg | Potassium: 337mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 518IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg