Name: Simple Tomato Rice Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 medium onion, finely diced; 1 clove garlic, finely diced; 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes; 1 tsp dried basil; 1 bay leaf; 1 tsp salt; 4 cups vegetable broth; 1/2 cup brown rice

Simple Tomato Rice Soup

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Simple tomato rice soup is a perfect comfort meal for a cold day. This recipe uses pantry staples for an easy to make soup that can be served with gluten free, vegan grilled cheese or gluten free bread for a complete meal.

A note on some of the ingredients:

Canned tomatoes: I prefer to use crushed canned tomatoes for this recipe because it makes for a thicker soup. Any brand works as long as it is a 28 oz (540 ml) can.

Vegetable broth: My preferred brand of vegetable broth is Imagine. The sodium content is fairly low, as far as broths go, which allows me to control the amount of salt added. Because of the low sodium of the broth I use 1 teaspoon of additional salt in the soup. If the broth that you have is higher in sodium start with only a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and adjust for taste at the end. Additionally if you don’t have broth then water will work as well.

Rice: I use brown basmati rice in this recipe because that is what we always have on hand. I prefer brown rice because of the higher fibre content but it does take longer to cook. Substituting white rice will reduce the cook time.

How the Tomato Rice Soup is made:

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add in the oil. Once the oil has heated, add the finely chopped onion and stir until it is well coated in the oil. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until it begins to become translucent, about 5 minutes.

a large soup pot with sauteed onions in olive oil

Once the onions have begun to soften add in the salt and the minced garlic. Stir and cook for only 30 seconds as garlic can burn very quickly.

a large soup pot with sauteed onions, minced garlic and salt

When the garlic begins to become fragrant add in the canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, basil and bay leaf. Stir well, cover and bring everything to a simmer.

large soup pot with crushed tomatoes, seasoning, garlic and onion

Add in the rice, stir again and cover. Turn the temperature down to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soup is done when the rice is cooked. If using brown rice this will take closer to 40 minutes, if using white rice it will be 20 minutes.

Leftover soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The soup will thicken up slightly. If you prefer the soup to be thinner add a splash of broth or water before reheating.

Enjoy!