Creamy Tomato Soup Recipe with cognac and orange. Tomato soup comes alive with the zest of an orange, orange juice and some very special spirit We found this to be a beautiful bowl of late Summer goodness.

Even though it’s been in the 90’s here in Denver, I feel as if soup season is upon us. And my tomato plants are loving this extended warm weather. Therefore I have a counter full of beautiful ripe fruit.
This recipe calls for four pounds of ripe tomatoes, and I couldn’t think of a better way to use those vibrant garden-fresh tomatoes.
Add a little cream, a hint of orange, a touch of clove, this is one soup that you can be sure will please everyone.
We just returned from our Annual Fall Trip to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. If you’re interested in the area, Elk watching in Colorado, and traveling with dogs in Rocky Mountain National Park, I hope you take a look at the post.
With that said, taking in all that fresh crisp mountain air has put me in the mood for soup.
Creamy Tomato Soup Recipe with Cognac and Orange
I hope you give this tomato soup with cognac and orange recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating.
Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes. And if you have a favorite creamy tomato soup recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
More Tomato Soup recipes.
This soup can be made with canned tomatoes. Just substitute 2 – 28 ounce cans of chopped tomatoes, drained, preferably fire roasted.

Tomato Soup with Cognac and Orange
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic peeled and put through a garlic press
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 – 4 whole cloves
- 4 pounds perfectly ripe tomatoes cored and coarsely chopped
- Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons cognac
- Sour cream Creme Fraiche or plain yogurt for garnish.
- Basil leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Spray a 5-quart heavy enameled soup pot with the cooking spray. In it, melt the butter over medium beat. Add the onion and sautee until it starts to soften. About 3 minutes. Turn the heat down, add the garlic, basil, honey, cloves and cook stirring for two minutes. Add the tomatoes and raise heat to medium high and cook to evaporate the moisture, stirring frequently. When the tomatoes begin to turn into a bubbling, chunky liquid, 5 – 10 minutes, add the orange zest. Lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Let the mixture cool slightly. Pick out the cloves,. Add the orange juice and spoon the mixture into a food processor and puree in batches. Or you can use an emersion blender.
- Return the puree to the soup pot. Reheat over medium low heat stirring often. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. Add a dab of tomato paste if the soup seems to need more oomph. You might want to add a little more honey. When soup is hot, just before serving stir in the cream and the cognac. Do not permit the soup to boil. Serve at one garnished with a dab of dairy of your choice. Add a bright fresh basil leaf to each bowl.
Notes
Tomato Soup with Cognac and Orange …It’s what’s for Dinner.
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
Hi Lea Anne, I found your blog from FBC FB page. What a beautiful place you are living in and the soup looks so delicious.
I know this is the wrong place (and the wrong time) to say this, but I love elk steak! ~ I must also say that your tomato soup recipe is just extravagant. I think I can do this in my RV. Wow. (Elk steaks are a little harder to find though.)
I wish I had more experience with Elk Steaks. Had elk medallions once in a restaurant in Estes Park that were out-of-this-world. With a wine-gravy type sauce. I should try that.
The photo of the soup could be an abstract painting it’s so beautiful! We had a lovely past couple of weeks but cooler weather is in our short term forecast so I can see soup will be on the menu soon here also. The flavors sound wonderful together! Terrific shots of the elk and the area around Estes Park. What a gorgeous place to visit.
The soup looks perfect for these transition weeks into fall. I planted some trees this year and the elk are using them for their personal sharpening posts! I had them caged, but the elk are stronger than the cages.
I need to visit Estes Park!!!!
Thanks RMW. If you visit Estes, you better visit me too! 🙂
Cognac and orange? What a lovely combination with the tomatoes. Love your pictures from the park! Stunning!
Thanks Heather
If we get back out this way, I’d like to spend some significant time in the park on both sides of the mountain. The soup sounds very different and I like that it has no broth in it. I like your shot of it with the cream swirls as well.
Thanks Larry. Rocky Mountain National Park is a very special place… in a very magnificent way.
Lea Ann, I’m so sorry I didn’t get around to planting tomatoes this year! Soup looks great, and I love your elk photos!
Our tomatoes have been a bit of a challenge, so much rain early in the season caused some problems. But they’re rewarding us now.
Beautiful photos!
Thank you Michele!
This soup is just the recipe I need Lea Ann! I have so many tomatoes I don’t know what to do with them. I will try your version of tomato soup! Looks really good! I planted the seeds this spring that I won in your garden bookgiveaway. They produced really nice lettuce and herbs for me! Thank YOU! Take Care
So good to hear from you Jaime! And glad to hear those seeds served you well. You are very welcome!
What a beautiful bowl of soup Lea Ann. And I love the touch of orange and cognac and the pretty swirl of cream. Your photos of the elk are outstanding. How in the world did you manage to get so close!
Sam
Thank you Sam. I was pretty close, but I do have a good zoom.
This sounds like a great soup Lea Ann! But I love the photos of your elk! Looks like it was a lot of fun! We used to go up years ago when we lived in Fort Collins and listen to them bugling. you can never forget that sound. Love that Remy!
Thank you Abbe. We were there a little early for the big excitement. Only a few herds and not the multitudes that we’re used to. Still a wonderful time. I love Estes and RMNP in the Fall.