Super easy creamy harissa tomato soup served best with a warm and toasty grilled cheese sandwich! This cozy meal is perfect for fall and winter.
Who doesn’t love the classic tomato soup and grilled cheese combination? It brings me back to my childhood every time I have it. However, I enjoy it just as much as an adult! I wanted to give this nostalgic meal a little twist to make it my own. Harissa paste is one of my favorite ways to add flavor to a dish. So this one was a no brainer.
A little harissa goes a long way! All you need is a little bit to give this soup a little kick and flavor bomb. I get my harissa at Trader Joe’s. However, most grocery stores will carry this! I find the Trader Joe’s one to be somewhat mild. However, they are not all created equal. Some can be spicy so just check the label. It should say “spicy” if it is. Like this one on amazon [3]. With that being said, don’t worry there’s also a mild option [4] on amazon.
Nothing goes better together than tomato soup and grilled cheese. So, I made one using some delicious sourdough bread, pepper jack cheese and cheddar cheese. The little bit of spice from the pepper jack went perfectly with this easy creamy harissa tomato soup. However, if you don’t do dairy you can skip the grilled cheese. Or use a dairy-free cheese you like! This soup can be easily dairy-free using coconut milk from a can. I give the option for both coconut milk or heavy cream. Personally, I prefer the coconut milk flavor with the harissa. But, I don’t follow a dairy-free diet! Obviously, cheese is kind of all over my blog.
Other Harissa recipes on the blog:
- Harissa chicken enchiladas [5]
- Harissa chicken meatballs [6]
- Creamy harissa salmon [7]
- Cauliflower raviolis with harissa sauce [8]
- Harissa chicken salad [9]
This soup recipe is super easy to make! It requires no roasting of tomatoes. I know a lot of people like as little steps as possible when it comes to cooking! So, instead I used a can of diced tomatoes. As well as some tomato paste.
What you need for this recipe:
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Harissa paste
- Chicken broth, or you can use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian
- Canned coconut milk OR heavy cream
- Garlic and yellow onion
- Dried basil, dried oregano, and smoked paprika
- The usual suspects – olive oil, salt and pepper
- Bread, cheese slices and butter if you’re making a grilled cheese to go with it!
- An immersion blender [10] or a regular blender
I hope you enjoy this cozy soup recipe all season long! This year has been chaotic. So, a little extra comfort food is much needed.
Print [2]Easy Creamy Harissa Tomato Soup
- Yield: 4–5 servings 1x
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp harissa paste, or more/less to taste
2 & 1/2 cups chicken broth OR vegetable broth
1/2 cup coconut milk from a can OR heavy cream
1 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp smoked paprika, regular paprika will also work
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
In a large soup pot over medium heat add olive oil.
Once heated add onion and season with salt, pepper, dried basil, dried oregano, and smoked paprika.
Let cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add garlic and let cook for about 40 seconds, stirring frequently to keep from burning.
Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, harissa paste, and chicken broth.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 40-45 minutes.
Turn off heat and blend soup using an immersion blender until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender you will have to transfer to a regular blender for this part.
Turn soup back on low heat and stir the coconut milk or heavy cream. If using coconut milk make sure to get the thick part on the top. Taste soup and adjust seasonings/harissa if need be. If it’s too spicy for you, add more coconut milk or heavy cream.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*for one grilled cheese I did 2 slices of sourdough, 2 slices of pepper jack cheese, 2 slices of cheddar cheese and a little bit of butter in a pan until the bread was toasted and the cheese was fully melted!
Find it online: https://dashofmandi.com/easy-creamy-harissa-tomato-soup/ [13]