Tomato Soup with Cheddar Bay Dumplings
You’ll love Tomato Soup with Cheddar Bay Dumplings. An easy and comforting homemade tomato soup topped with fluffy Cheddar Bay dumplings.
A FUN TWIST ON TOMATO SOUP
A few years ago, I developed a recipe for white chicken chili with cornbread dumplings and it has been one of your favorites ever since. So, it got me thinking when I was making my homemade tomato soup – I should add dumplings to this too. And it ended up being a match made in heaven! This was so, so good and it really is a whole meal. Perfect for those colder winter days!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce for a little heat. Stir in fresh basil or parsley at the end for added flavor.
If you prefer a thicker soup, let it simmer uncovered for a few extra minutes before adding the dumplings.
If you have a store bought tomato soup that you enjoy, you could use that instead and just make these biscuits to use. But, I will say that this is a really simple tomato soup recipe to make.
If you don’t want to use Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix, any biscuit mix will work. You could use Homemade Bisquick Mix (about 2 cups, just don’t pack the measuring cup) or cornbread, like I do when making my White Chicken Chili with Cornbread Dumplings. If you want to make the dumplings like the cheddar bay biscuits, you can add the shredded cheese to the biscuit mix. Additionally, if wanting to use regular biscuit mix but wanting them like the cheddar bay biscuits, you can add a teaspoon of garlic powder with the shredded cheddar cheese it calls for on the back of the box, or you can just make some totally Homemade Cheddar Bay Biscuits from scratch.
Since this recipe has dumplings and soup, I feel like it’s a pretty good and filling meal in itself. If I were looking for something else to serve with it, you can’t go wrong with a big, green salad.
You could make this in the Crock Pot, but you’ll need to sauté the onions first as they don’t always soften up in the slow cooker enough. Combine everything in a 4-5 quart Slow Cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Then add the dumpling dough during the last 30-60 minutes of cooking.
Store leftover soup and dumplings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of chicken stock or water if the soup thickens too much. Avoid microwaving leftovers the dumplings, as they may become tough.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- unsalted butter
- sweet onion– you can use a regular yellow onion but I think a sweet onion works best here.
- garlic– I prefer fresh garlic for best flavor but if all you have is the jarred stuff, you can use that. You may just want to use a little more to get a bit more flavor.
- all-purpose flour
- chicken stock– you can use low or no sodium options if you are concerned about sodium intake. Just remember that you can add more salt later if you think it’s necessary, but you can’t take it back out. Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock to make the soup vegetarian.
- peeled whole tomatoes – do not drain them. You want the juice. I really like the whole tomatoes for tomato soup. Maybe it’s just me but I find they really bring the best flavor to tomato soup.
- sugar – you can skip this if you want or use a sugar substitute but this just helps with the strong acidity from the tomatoes. Some folks think a little baking soda can also help (I haven’t personally tried that though.)
- Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix– plus the ingredients needed that is listed on the package, ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese and ¼ cup melted butter. For this recipe, I typically smear the garlic butter over the dumplings, but if you don’t want to do that, you can just dump the garlic powder in with the biscuit mix itself.
HOW TO MAKE TOMATO SOUP WITH CHEDDAR BAY DUMPLINGS
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Sprinkle the flour over the onion and garlic mixture, stirring constantly. Cook for 1-2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
Slowly pour in the chicken stock, whisking to combine. Add the canned tomatoes with their juices, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. If using a regular blender, work in batches and return the soup to the pot. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer over low heat.
While the soup simmers, prepare the biscuit dough according to the package instructions.
Drop spoonfuls of the biscuit dough into the simmering soup. Cover the pot with a lid and let the soup simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the dumplings are fully cooked and no longer doughy in the center NOTE: This time can vary so please go by dumpling doneness, not just by time. In a small bowl, prepare the garlic herb butter according to the package instructions. Brush this mixture over the tops of the dumplings before serving.
Garnish with fresh parsley or basil for extra flavor and color. Enjoy!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Tomato Soup with Cheddar Bay Dumplings
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock (can use low or no sodium)
- 2 (28 ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes (do not drain)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ teaspoon black pepper
For Dumplings:
- 11 ounce box Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix, plus ingredients needed to make (½ cup shredded cheddar cheese and ¼ cup melted butter)
Instructions
- Melt 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add 1 small sweet onion, diced and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.
- Stir in 3 cloves garlic, minced and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour over the onion and garlic mixture, stirring constantly. Cook for 1-2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Slowly pour in 2 cups chicken stock, whisking to combine. Add 2 (28 ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes (do not drain), 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and ⅓ teaspoon black pepper. Stir well.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. If using a regular blender, work in batches and return the soup to the pot. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer over low heat.
- While the soup simmers, prepare the Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix according to package directions (with the 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese) according to the package instructions. Note: you will be using the seasoning pack and melted butter later.
- Drop spoonfuls of the biscuit dough into the simmering soup. Cover the pot with a lid and let the soup simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the dumplings are fully cooked and no longer doughy in the center NOTE: This time can vary so please go by dumpling doneness, not just by time.
- In a small bowl, prepare the garlic herb butter packet with 1/4 cup melted butter according to the package instructions.
- Brush this mixture over the tops of the dumplings before serving. NOTE: If you have any extra melted butter, just pour it into the pot and gently stir (this is totally optional) Garnish with fresh parsley or basil for extra flavor and color. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- This is a very simple tomato soup recipe. Feel free to add some fresh basil or dried Italian Seasoning (to taste.)
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
We absolutely loved it. Will be having again.
My grandma made tomato dumplings my whole life and I’m 61. She would can tomato juice with tomatoes out of the garden and drop homemade biscuit dough into it. People looked at me like I was crazy when I told them about them.