Zupa Pomidorowa (Polish Tomato Soup)
Every Polish kid grew up on zupa pomidorowa with little star pasta swimming in it. If you only know Campbell's, your tomato soup life is about to change. Polish tomato soup is nothing like the stuff from a can — it's brothy, not thick. It's made with real tomatoes and a chicken or vegetable base. And it has tiny pasta shapes floating in it that made me unreasonably happy as a five-year-old and still make me unreasonably happy now.
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken broth 1.5L; homemade rosół is ideal, but good quality store-bought works
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 400g / 14oz; in summer, use fresh; or 1 pound fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon sugar takes the edge off the tomato acidity
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream or sour cream optional but highly recommended
- Fresh dill, generously chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup small pasta gwiazdki; stars , orzo, small shells, or thin egg noodles
Method
Build the Base
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Don't let the garlic brown — burnt garlic is bitter garlic and bitter garlic ruins soup.
Add the Tomatoes
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and bay leaf. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato mixture darkens slightly and smells concentrated and sweet. This step builds the tomato flavour — don't skip it.
Add the Broth and Simmer
- Pour in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. The flavours need time to marry. Taste and adjust salt — the amount depends on how salty your broth is. Remove the bay leaf.
- At this point, you have a choice: leave the soup chunky (rustic, the way my mama made it) or blend it until smooth (the way my babcia preferred). I usually do a half-blend — hit it with an immersion blender for a few seconds so it's partly smooth with some chunks remaining. Best of both worlds.
Add the Pasta
- Cook the pasta separately in salted water. This is important — don't cook the pasta directly in the soup. I know it seems like extra work, but pasta cooked in soup absorbs the broth, gets mushy, and turns the whole pot into a thick starchy mess by the next day. Cook it on the side, add it to each bowl when serving. Trust me on this. I learned the hard way approximately seven times before I accepted reality.
Finish and Serve
- Stir in the cream if using — heavy cream or sour cream both work. The cream adds richness and mellows the tomato acidity. Some people skip cream entirely and that's valid too, but my family likes it creamy. Ladle into bowls over the cooked pasta. Top with a generous pile of fresh dill. Serve with good bread for dunking.