It couldn’t be easier to make.

By

Devan Grimsrud

Devan Grimsrud is a Berlin-based writer, editor, and recipe developer originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. After working in television production with James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Zimmern, she relocated to Berlin and became the managing editor at Kitchen Stories, an international digital cooking platform with millions of active users.

Published January 21, 2026

Simply Recipes / Alexandra Shytsman

When it’s the dead of winter, there’s one dish we all lean on to get through: soup. Whether it’s our favorite version of classic chicken soup or a soup we can whip up in 15 minutes flat, a chunky soup or brothy one, we can all agree that the best way to keep warm in winter is by sipping and supping on a bowl or two.

While I tend to slurp soups all year round (I’m personally partial to any with noodles), there are certain ones that become all the more craveable when it’s cold outside. One of my personal favorite soups to serve on a chilly night is tomato soup, preferably with (you guessed it) a gooey, crispy, and buttery grilled cheese sandwich for dipping. It’s been a favorite since I was a kid.

All that being said, it was no surprise to me that our readers’ favorite winter soup this year is this super simple 5-ingredient Tomato and Red Lentil Soup. It’s the homemade version of the popular canned soup, but with a few easy upgrades. This recipe is also easy to scale up so you can make one big batch on a Sunday and let it take you through a busy week.

Simply Recipes / Alexandra Shytsman

Your New Go-To Tomato Soup

Recipe developer Lou Perseghin did three things to make this tomato soup special while keeping it weeknight accessible, kid-friendly, and iconically tomato-y.

First, he coaxes flavor from the tomatoes by giving them a pan roast, using just 15 extra minutes to really deepen the tomato flavor of this soup. Second, he adds a cup of dried red lentils, which cook quickly and add body and more nutritional value to the soup. Lastly, he blends the soup, keeping any lentil sceptics none the wiser and making sure each bowl is creamy and velvety smooth.

These might seem like subtle upgrades, but once you taste this soup, you’ll see just how much this little bit of extra effort goes to create a well-rounded, satisfying bowl that’s so much better than the canned stuff.

Simply Recipes / Alexandra Shytsman

Finishing and Serving Tips

We all know (and probably love) the classic combination of grilled cheese and tomato soup, and this soup naturally plays well with toasted bread and melty cheese. If you’re looking for something different to pair with it, here are some ideas:

• Add richness by finishing the soup with a splash of heavy cream or a dollop of sour cream
• Serve with crackers for dipping or top with a handful of small, preferably cheesy ones, like Goldfish or Cheez-Its
• Swirl in a spoonful of your favorite basil pesto
• Sprinkle the top of each bowl with a generous handful of croutons
• Make a big, bowl sized cheese crisp or frico and place over each bowl to crack into with each bite
• Top each bowl with a sprinkle of toasted nuts or seeds for texture
• Skip the sandwich and serve with a side of garlic bread or cheesy bread for dipping
• Crisp up some bacon to crumble on top