Last updated on March 11th, 2025
In my house, we call this soup “Tom’s Famous Soup” – the tastiest vegetable soup. It’s famous because, Thomas, our 10-year old son, created this recipe from scratch one afternoon and we all loved it so much that he made it again, and again and…. Any moms dream, right?!
And the name just developed, like, can you please make your “Famous Soup, Tom?” Or sometimes he would even ask, “Mom, could you make my Famous soup?”
I must say, it is the most heartwarming thing to watch a child play in the kitchen and experiment with creating some thing. Yes, they can make a huge mess and sometimes it doesn’t turn out great but in this case, it landed up becoming “Tom’s Famous Soup” and now I’m sharing it with you and maybe you and your kids will love it too! So, always allow mess in the name of experimentation!
And if you look at the ingredients, it’s just pure goodness – so it is a top pick for mum’s wanting to get some veggies (albeit blended) into their kids tummies.
Secrets to Tom’s Famous Soup
- The first secret to the good taste in this soup, is to really allow the onions to caramelise nicely. We don’t have an array of spices or exotic ingredients to impart flavour so, make sure you take your time here. You want to see them brown and soft, even perhaps a little charred in places. It just imparts so much flavour so don’t skip this part.
- The second secret to this soup, is to allow the soup to simmer for at least 30 to 40 minutes – it allows the acidity of the tomatoes to reduce and round off a little.
By all means, if you want to add a dash of garlic to this recipe, like a clove or 2 or 3, then do so! Add it when you are cooking the onions, just be careful not to burn it.
And the last thing I will say is this – if by any chance you have any leftover soup, (like how does that even happen?), but I’m just saying, if you do, then freeze it!! Or, if you have any stew or potjie leftovers, mix the leftovers with a little of Tom’s Famous Soup, add a cup or two of beef stock, simmer for a few minutes and now you have the best meaty soup ever. I just thought I’d share that with you 🙂 It’s a pleasure.
Oh and wait…… If you are a soup fan like us, you may find some of these soup recipes yummy too
Here is my boy, making his super special soup!
Awwww! Hi Tom!!! What a great soup inventor you are!
“It’s so good mom, I just have to slurp up every last morsel with a straw!”
Yummy! Hearty! Vegetable Soup!! We’re just missing the buttered Ciabatta now!
Tom’s Famous Soup
Prep Time: 20 mins- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Tom’s Famous Soup is made with fuss-free ingredients and a simple method, full of good nutrients and lots of flavour – made by a kid for kids and adults alike.
Ingredients
- 3 onions, chopped
- 3 tablespoons oil or butter
- 5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 tin tomato soup (or 1/2 cup tomato puree)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 3 cups vegetable stock (+ more if needed)Salt to taste
Instructions
Method:
- In a large pot, add the onions and fry until soft and caramelised
- Add the potatoes, carrots, tomato soup (or puree), tomato paste, tinned tomatoes and vegetable stock and stir through
- Allow to simmer for 30-40 minutes until all vegetables are soft and tender and the flavour has developed.
- Add salt to taste.
- Blend with a stick blender for an ultra smooth soup – For ultra picky eaters, like my son, you can sieve the soup to remove any tomato skins or seeds.
Love this recipe with easy, ‘have in pantry’ ingredients. My three boys (aged 5, 6 and 37 :)) loved this! I found it a bit ‘potato-ey’, but maybe my potatoes were too large? Or maybe I should have added salt (I didn’t feel like it needed any)?
Yum yum yum, though! Thanks, top chef in the making, Tom!
Hi Elda, thanks so much for your lovely comment! We alter the recipe from time to time as sometimes we don’t have enough carrots or potatoes etc. If you found it too potato-ey then I would definitely use less next time or smaller ones. So glad all your boys loved the soup! X Louise