How to get a thicker soup from watery tomatoes?

How to get a thicker soup from watery tomatoes? - From above composition of traditional Asian spicy soup with vegetables and corn placed on wooden board near edible sachets with spices served with salad and slices tomato

I want to make a tomato soup, but my girlfriend tells me that, from the tomato we have, the soup will be too watery. Now I've read that one could use tomato paste/puree as a thickener, and still keep a rich tomato flavour. But what would be the right dosage of paste? Is there any other advice/method to make a good tomato soup from my watery tomatoes?

UPDATE: Thanks for all your answers, unfortunately the most accepted answer seems to be quite time consuming, and I won't have that much time before tomorrow, the big day. It's my fault really, as I should have told that I had some time constraint. However, I want to try @Michael's solution another time, as it seems really interesting. In any event, I'll give a further update the day after tomorrow.



Best Answer

One thing you can do is dry off much of the water by slow-roasting the tomatoes in the oven first, similar to what I do in this risotto. I think you will get a more complex flavor than if you boil the heck out of them in a pot to reduce. I was also going to suggest pureeing them and then hanging them in a cheesecloth bag to drain the water, but you'll lose too much flavor that way.




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Quick Answer about "How to get a thicker soup from watery tomatoes?"

  • Add cream. Dairy options high in fat will create a thick and creamy consistency in dishes. ...
  • Blend the soup. Purée the whole soup or just half of it to add thickness to the dish. ...
  • Incorporate vegetables. ...
  • Make a slurry. ...
  • Reduce the soup. ...
  • Top the soup with croutons.


  • What can I do if my soup is too watery?

    Depending on what kind of soup you've made, these are six of the easiest ways to make it thicker.
  • Blend all or part of it. ...
  • Add cream or yogurt. ...
  • Add flour or cornflour. ...
  • Use a butter and flour paste. ...
  • Blend in bread. ...
  • Add lentils or rice. ...
  • 5 of the best soup recipes to try next:


  • How do you thicken diced tomatoes?

    Adding a cornstarch slurry is an easy way to thicken sauce quickly. Simply combine equal parts water and cornstarch (start with 1/4 cup each). Whisk until smooth, then stir into the sauce.

    How can I thicken my soup naturally?

    A handful of uncooked rice. That's all folks, just a handful of white rice. Any kind will do: jasmine, basmati, short grain, long grain. When added to a brothy (or watery, even) soup, and left to simmer for 20-30 minutes, the rice breaks down, releasing its starch and thickening the liquid that it's cooking in.

    How do you let soup thicken?

    The quickest way to thicken any soup is to mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water and add it to your soup. Let it come to a simmer and then repeat if you want it thicker. How can I thicken soup without flour? You can use cornstarch in place of flour to thicken soup.



    How to Thicken Sauces and Soups W/Chef Prez..




    More answers regarding how to get a thicker soup from watery tomatoes?

    Answer 2

    You can add quite a lot of tomato paste/puree but this will mask the fresh flavour of your tomatoes.

    I think I'd just reduce the soup down once it was made or add carrots. Carrot flavour really complements tomato soup and many tomato soups recipes require carrots. The starch will then help you thicken the soup.

    Answer 3

    One trick I use for thickening soups is instant mashed potatoes from a box (we also freeze leftover real mash for soups, but it doesn't work quite the same way). I would think you'd want to be careful about using too much in a tomato soup, but it might be worth considering if your soup only needs a little help.

    Answer 4

    Add potatos! You generally won't taste them but they'll add thickness to your soup.

    Answer 5

    It might be too late to help you, but for others -- consider not using the whole tomato.

    Rather than using whole tomatoes, if you slice them in half (through the equator, not along the stem/blossom line), and then take out the gel in the seed cavities, you'll have almost all 'tomato flesh'. I just use a clean finger (shove it in the cavity to loosen the seeds, then a flick of the wrist over a garbage can to extract any bits still left).

    If you're going to be peeling the tomatoes, too, peel first, then take the seeds & gel out, but it's going to get messy (and I'd work over a garbage bowl, not the garbage can directly, as they're going to be slippery). Of course, if you use Michael's recommendation, you don't have to separately peel the tomatoes, as the skin will come off easily after roasting)

    Answer 6

    I made a tomato broth as the recipe called for and loved the taste, but it was thin as broth should be and I just wanted something thicker with more body. So I added a 6 oz can of tomato paste, 1/2 cup of cream and another pinch of salt and white pepper to the 2 1/2 cups of tomato broth I had already made. It worked out perfectly! it was thick and creamy just as I had wanted with great tomato flavor.

    Answer 7

    Corn starch shouldn't effect the flavor much. Or try wheat flour which is usually handy, though that does have the more "bready" taste. This is basically the same as the roux comment. For variety and less flavor impact try rice flour or starch.

    If you've already got it mostly done and you're on a tight schedule, adding one or both of those will thicken any soup/sauce after simmering for another 2 minutes. I must have rescued a hundred dishes this way.. sauce mostly, but also an occasional stew, chili, or soup.

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