Tomato Soup

A low FODMAP tomato soup of crushed tomatoes, carrot, scallion greens, low FODMAP broth, heavy cream, and fresh basil.

Prep 10 min

Cook 30 min

Serves 4

Gluten-freeDairy-free-option

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced (about 3/4 cup)
• Green tops of 4 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 400g (about 14 oz) canned whole or crushed tomatoes, no onion or garlic added (Muir Glen or Cento; a 14.5 oz can is fine if you hold back 2 tablespoons)
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) low-FODMAP chicken broth or low-FODMAP vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, torn, plus more for serving

Instructions

Build the Base

1. Warm the garlic-infused oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.
2. Add the carrot and scallion greens. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring, until the carrot softens slightly.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until it darkens and smells sweet.

Simmer

1. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, breaking up the whole tomatoes against the side of the pot with a spoon if using.
2. Pour in the broth. Add the sugar, salt, and pepper.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat and cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly and the carrot is fully tender.

Blend and Finish

1. Turn off the heat. Blend the soup until smooth using an immersion blender, or transfer in batches to a countertop blender and vent the lid.
2. Return the soup to the pot if needed. Stir in the heavy cream and the basil. Warm through over low heat for 2 minutes. Do not boil after adding the cream.
3. Taste and adjust salt. Serve with a drizzle of garlic-infused oil and more torn basil.

Tips & Substitutions

• Use canned tomatoes without onion or garlic. Muir Glen and Cento usually work, but check the label, since "tomato basil," "fire-roasted," and pasta-sauce-style cans often add onion or garlic.
• Keep canned tomatoes to 1/2 cup per serve. Monash rates canned tomatoes low at 100g (about 1/2 cup) per serve. 400g split across 4 bowls comes out to 100g per bowl.
• Tomato paste stays at 2 tbsp or less. The Monash serving size is about 1 tablespoon (20g). The recipe uses 2 tbsp total across 4 servings, so each bowl gets well under it.
• For dairy-free, use coconut milk. Swap the 1/2 cup heavy cream for 1/2 cup canned coconut milk, light or regular (2 tablespoons per bowl, under the Monash serve of about ¾ cup (180mL)). Lactose-free milk plus an extra tablespoon of oil works for a lighter, lactose-free soup.
• Use a broth that doesn't list onion or garlic. Most supermarket broths contain onion or garlic powder, so use homemade or a certified low FODMAP broth (Fody, Gourmend).
• Add a pinch of baking soda if the soup tastes too acidic. Start with 1/8 tsp stirred in after blending. It neutralizes some of the tomato acid without changing the flavor much.

Why This Works

Canned tomatoes are low at a measured serve. Monash rates canned tomatoes low-FODMAP up to 100g per serve. Splitting 400g across four bowls keeps each serving at that Monash serving size.

Garlic-infused oil plus scallion greens gives you the onion-garlic flavor. Fructans don't dissolve into oil, so the oil carries garlic flavor without the FODMAPs. Scallion greens cover the onion note; the white bulbs are what you avoid.

Heavy cream works because it's high in fat. The higher the fat content of a dairy product, the lower the lactose per serve. The recipe uses 1/2 cup cream total, about 2 tbsp per bowl, which is a small amount of lactose. Use lactose-free cream if you are avoiding lactose entirely.

Tomato paste intensifies flavor within the serve limit. About 1 tablespoon (20g) is the Monash serving size, and spreading 2 tbsp across four bowls gives depth without stacking FODMAPs.

Storage

Refrigerate in sealed containers at 40°F (4°C) or below for up to 4 days. Reheat gently over low heat, stirring often, since cream-based soups can break at a hard boil. Freeze the blended base without the cream for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat, then stir the cream in fresh.