Tomato Rice Soup (American style)
Tomato rice soup is a familiar dish in American cuisine. It’s a variation of the classic tomato soup, with the addition of rice making it more filling and textured. This dish is a staple in many households because it’s easy to prepare. This naturally vegan type of soup, typically consists of fresh, canned, puréed tomatoes, tomato juice or simply vegetable pasta sauce (leftover), cooked (leftover) rice, broth and seasonings, making it an ideal way to reduce food waste.
Similar versions of tomato rice soup exist in other countries as well. In Italy, “minestra di riso e pomodori” is a traditional dish that combines rice with a tomato-based broth, offering a simple yet flavorful soup. In Hungary, “rizses paradicsomleves” is another example, where leftover rice is added to a tangy tomato soup to create a satisfying and hearty meal. Both of these international versions, like the American one, are naturally vegan and showcase how basic ingredients can be transformed into a comforting dish. By making your tomato rice soup with leftover rice and tomato pasta sauce, you’ve created a perfect leftover dish—resourceful, delicious, and vegan-friendly.
Here, we are using both, a leftover pasta sauce with diced zucchini and carrots as well as leftover rice. We combine these with vegetable broth and chopped herbs of the season.
Tomato Rice Soup (American style)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2-3/4 cup leftover rice (cooked rice)
- 2-3 cups pasta sauce or freshly made: 1/2 carrot, finely diced; 1/4 zucchini, diced; sautéed in oil; add some tomato purée and a little water and cook until the carrots are tender, season with salt and pepper, maybe dried or fresh herbs
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- some fresh herbs of the region and season, chopped
- black or white pepper and salt
Instructions
- Fry the rice in the oil for ca. 1 minute.
- Add the tomato sauce, the broth, the herbs and boil for ca 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with some fresh bread, croutons or similar.