Brothy Tomato Rice Soup

By Eric Kim

Published July 15, 2025

Brothy Tomato Rice Soup
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(30)
Comments
Read comments

This quick and nourishing soup captures the concentrated umami, acidic-sweet brightness and floral aroma of fresh tomatoes. If you can buy the ones on the vine, you’ll end up with an even more intense scent. Fragrant jasmine rice lends body and thickens the broth just enough. The perfect lunch or light dinner, this comforting meal reheats beautifully, too, to a texture not dissimilar to congee or juk, and tastes like peak summer in soup form. A note on cooking with tomato vines: They lend a surprising tomatoey flavor to brothy curries and soups like this, accentuating the aroma of the fruit in a beautiful way, but they do contain plant defenses called glycoalkaloids, so don’t eat them.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1ounce guanciale or bacon, diced
  • ½medium yellow onion, diced
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper
  • 1teaspoon dried oregano
  • 12ounces grape or cherry tomatoes, preferably on the vine
  • ¼cup jasmine rice
  • 2cups chicken stock, bone broth or dashi, preferably homemade
  • Salt
  • Fresh basil and toasted sesame oil, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

300 calories; 19 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 1137 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat a medium saucepan over medium, then add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom. Stir-fry the guanciale and onion until both start to brown at the edges, about 5 minutes, then scooch them to the side of the pan.

  2. Step 2

    To the empty side of the pan, add a little more oil if dry, then stir in the crushed red pepper and oregano. Reduce the heat if the spices start to burn. Nestle in the tomatoes (with their vines still on) and cook them until fragrant, about 1 minute.

  3. Step 3

    Add the rice and stock and bring to a boil over high, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt. If your tomatoes had stems and vines, remove and discard them.

  4. Step 4

    Serve immediately with a topping of fresh basil and a dribble of sesame oil, if using.

Ratings

5 out of 5
30 user ratings
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Comments

Randi Perlman

A delicious and beautiful soup! I used Sleeping Lady dwarf tomatoes given to me by my friend from her SoCal garden (thank you, Marcy!) For dietary reasons, I omitted the guanciale.

Eileen

@kathy I had heard about tomato leaves being poisonous so I decided to look it up. It seems it is vastly overstated. One would need to eat over a pound of leaves or stems to have ill effects. Apparently there are many myths about members of the nightshade family.

Eric Kim

Hi all, A note on cooking with tomato vines: They lend a surprising tomatoey flavor to brothy curries and soups like this, accentuating the aroma of the fruit in a beautiful way, but they do contain plant defenses called glycoalkaloids (so don’t eat them). -Eric

Amanda

I just made it, and I agree ...@Granddaughter of immigrants

Julie C.

Cozy and savory. Being Cantonese and pescatarian, I used conpoy in place of guanciale. Amazing.

Mark

Delicious. Used supermarket bone broth, added extra firm tofu for a bit more volume and protein, and didn’t have guanciale so used pancetta instead. Didn’t cook tomato stems for safety. Tomatoes were bursting with flavor and the dish overall was savory and had great textures, and the toasted sesame oil added a bit more depth. Simmered uncovered.

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