This Instant Pot Tomato Soup Is Liquid Luxury Without Any of the Labor

If you’ve been following along with us, then it’s no secret that we at Bon Appétit love to riff on classic recipes—you know, the ones you take for granted because they’ve always been there for you. Take, for instance, cozy, comforting tomato soup: We’ve used roasted tomatoes and topped it all with hunks of crusty bread, packed the broth with cream, drizzled it over buttery grilled cheese, dressed it up with melty pecorino and vibrant arugula, made it suitable for summer with peak produce, and on and on and on. But sometimes, all you want is the good old OG, maybe made slightly easier.

Lucky for us, Carla Lalli Music created an Instant Pot Tomato Soup that captures the timeless excellence of the staple, all with a little bit less of the fuss.

Using her eponymous recipe as a base, Carla set out to make a robust version that didn’t require the babysitting of a stove-top preparation—that means no stirring, no scraping the pot, no worrying about evaporation. Instead, this version draws on canned tomatoes and tomato paste for a double dose of tomato-y flavor, plus fennel, smoked paprika, and cayenne to bring a lightly sweet and smoky depth. Just sweat the veg for about 10 minutes right in the pot, then lock it down, and forget about it for another 12 minutes while the pressure does the work for you. Hit it all with an immersion blender at the end and finish with a swoosh of heavy cream or a dollop of greek yogurt for some extra velvety goodness. The end result will make you wonder why you ever needed any of the frills in the first place. (Though a grilled cheese sandwich does pair nicely.)

Ultimately, it’s quick, comforting, but most importantly, it tastes like everything you loved about tomato soup to begin with. No substitutions, no gimmicks. Just as a classic should be.

Get the Recipe:

Instant Pot Tomato Soup