Tomato Soup with Cheddar Bay Dumplings

Tomato soup with cheddar bay dumplings is pure comfort food magic that combines the classic flavors of rich, silky tomato soup with fluffy, cheesy dumplings that taste just like those famous Red Lobster biscuits! This easy, one-pot wonder transforms simple pantry ingredients into a soul-warming meal.

Love More Tomato Soups? Try My Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup or this Tomato Tortellini Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This isn’t just any tomato soup – it’s a cozy hug in a bowl that brings together two beloved comfort foods in the most delicious way! The rich, slightly sweet tomato base gets an incredible upgrade with those iconic cheddar bay dumplings floating on top like little pillows of heaven.

Print

Ingredient List

For the Tomato Soup Base:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 sweet white onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained (plus 1 additional 15.5-ounce can for total 43.5 oz)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the Cheddar Bay Dumplings:

• 1 (11-ounce) package Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix (with seasoning packet)
• Water (as directed on package)

For the Finishing Touch:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• Seasoning packet from the biscuit mix

Why These Ingredients Work

So my first few attempts at this were disasters because I grabbed whatever onion was cheapest – usually those sharp yellow ones that made everyone’s eyes water. Sweet white onions cost a bit more but they melt into the soup instead of punching you in the face with onion flavor. My grandmother always made this flour paste thing for her gravies, and I figured why not try it in soup. Turns out she was onto something because it makes everything smooth without getting lumpy.

I made this for my sister-in-law once using vegetable broth because she’s vegetarian, and while it was okay, it tasted kind of flat compared to chicken broth. Now I just make sure to have chicken broth on hand. The sugar thing sounds crazy but my neighbor Maria, who’s from Sicily, told me her mom always put sugar in tomato sauce to balance the acid. Tried it once and now I can’t make tomato anything without it.

Essential Tools and Equipment

You definitely need a big pot for this. I learned this when I tried using my regular medium saucepan and soup went everywhere when I added the broth. My Dutch oven is perfect but any big heavy pot works. Get a whisk that actually moves liquid around – those tiny ones don’t do anything. I have this stick blender that plugs into the wall and I can blend right in the pot, which saves me from washing the regular blender.

The spoon thing is important – use something big enough to scoop decent-sized dollops but not so huge you can’t control where the dough lands. I tried using an ice cream scoop once thinking I was being clever, but the dough stuck to it something awful. Just wet a regular big spoon and you’ll be fine.

How To Make Tomato Soup with Cheddar Bay Dumplings

Step 1: Build Your Flavor Base

Melt your butter in the big pot over medium heat, then throw in that chopped onion. I usually chop mine pretty small because my kids pick out big pieces, but you do you. Cook it until it looks glassy and smells amazing – takes about 5 minutes. Don’t crank the heat trying to speed this up like I did once. Burnt onions taste terrible and you’ll have to start over.

Step 2: Create the Perfect Roux

Now comes the flour part. Sprinkle it over those onions and stir it around for a minute. It’s going to look like wet sand, which always makes me think I’m doing something wrong, but that’s exactly what you want. Keep stirring or it’ll stick to the bottom and give your soup a burnt taste.

Step 3: Add Your Liquids

Here’s where people usually mess up – add the chicken broth slowly while you whisk. My first attempt looked like chunky gravy because I dumped it all in at once. Pour a little, whisk like crazy, pour some more. Then dump in both cans of tomatoes with all their juice. That juice is where half the flavor lives.

Step 4: Season and Simmer

Throw in your sugar, salt, and pepper, then turn the heat down so it’s just bubbling gently. I always taste it at this point because some canned tomatoes are more acidic than others. Sometimes I need extra sugar, sometimes extra salt. Your taste buds know better than any recipe.

Step 5: Blend for Silky Smoothness

This part is totally up to you. I usually blend about half of it with my stick blender because I like some chunks but want it creamy too. My mother-in-law blends the whole thing smooth as silk. My husband likes it chunky. Make it however makes you happy – there’s no wrong way here.

Step 6: Prepare Your Dumpling Dough

Mix up that biscuit dough exactly like the package says. Don’t overthink this part – the people who made the mix know what they’re doing. The dough should be sticky enough to hold together but not so wet it won’t hold its shape. I’ve messed this up by adding too much water before.

Step 7: Drop Those Dumplings

This is the fun part! I use a big spoon and just plop dollops of dough right into the simmering soup. Space them out so they’re not touching – they puff up more than you’d think. First time I made this, I crowded them all together and ended up with one giant dumpling blob.

Step 8: Cover and Cook

Put that lid on and set a timer for 15 minutes. I know you want to peek, but don’t. Every time you lift the lid, steam escapes and your dumplings won’t be as fluffy. I learned this the hard way when my first batch came out dense as rocks because I kept checking on them.

Step 9: Make the Signature Seasoned Butter

While those dumplings are doing their thing, melt your other 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl and mix in that seasoning packet. This smells incredible and is basically liquid gold. I always make extra because people want to put it on everything.

Step 10: Finish with Flair

When your timer goes off, carefully lift one dumpling with a spoon and peek inside – no raw dough means they’re done. Then brush or spoon that seasoned butter right over the tops. This step makes the whole kitchen smell like Red Lobster, and everyone will come running.

You Must Know

The other thing nobody tells you is that different brands of canned tomatoes act totally different. I stick with Hunt’s now because I know exactly how they’ll taste, but I spent months figuring that out after some disasters with other brands that were either too watery or too acidic.

Personal Secret: I always make extra seasoned butter because my husband steals spoonfuls straight from the bowl when he thinks I’m not looking. Last week I caught him dipping bread into it like it was some kind of fancy restaurant appetizer. Also, after you add those dumplings, let everything sit for about 5 minutes before you serve it. They soak up just enough soup to get really flavorful without turning into mush.

My mom taught me to never rush the onion part. She’d always say “patience makes the difference between good soup and great soup,” and she was absolutely right. I tried hurrying it once when I was running late for dinner, and the whole pot tasted off. Now I just start earlier or order pizza if I’m behind schedule.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

After making this probably fifty times, here’s what I’ve figured out. Room temperature ingredients mix better – I pull my eggs and butter out when I start chopping the onion. Don’t beat up that dumpling batter too much – just mix until it comes together or they’ll be tough. I keep a bowl of water next to me for dipping my spoon between dumpling drops.

The biggest thing is tasting as you go. I had one batch where the tomatoes were super acidic and needed way more sugar than the recipe called for. Another time they were sweet as candy and barely needed any. Every can is different, so trust your taste buds more than the measuring spoons.

Also, make way more of that seasoned butter than you think you need. My family fights over who gets to scrape the bowl, and I’ve started doubling it just to keep the peace.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

My sister adds a splash of heavy cream to hers and swears it’s better, but I think it makes it too rich. When I want to impress people, I throw in some fresh basil at the very end – just tear it up with your hands, don’t chop it. My neighbor tried adding bacon bits once and her kids went absolutely crazy for it.

One time I accidentally grabbed the hot sauce instead of the vanilla when I was reaching into the spice cabinet, and a few drops actually made it really good. Now I sometimes add just a tiny pinch of red pepper flakes when I want a little kick. My brother-in-law puts sharp cheddar right into the dumpling dough, which sounds weird but actually works pretty well.

Make-Ahead Options

I wish I could tell you this keeps well, but honestly those dumplings turn into mushy blobs if you make them ahead. What I do instead is make the soup base the day before and keep it in the fridge, then reheat it and add fresh dumplings when we’re ready to eat.

The soup part actually tastes better the next day after all the flavors have had time to get cozy together. Just warm it back up slowly and add a little extra broth if it got too thick overnight. But seriously, don’t try to reheat leftover dumplings. I’ve tried every trick in the book and they just don’t come back to life.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Look, I’ve tried making my own version of that Cheddar Bay mix from scratch, and it’s just not worth it. The store-bought stuff tastes exactly like the restaurant, and who has time to measure out fifteen different seasonings when you can just rip open a box?

If your soup gets too thick after the dumplings cook (and it might because they soak up liquid like little sponges), just add more chicken broth until it looks right to you. I usually keep an extra carton on hand because I can never predict exactly how much the dumplings will drink up.

Serving Suggestions

This is definitely what we eat for dinner, not some tiny appetizer portion. I use my biggest bowls because you need room for all those dumplings. Usually I throw some lettuce in a bowl with whatever dressing is in the door of the fridge and call it a salad. We always have some kind of bread around for dunking – sometimes it’s fancy bakery stuff if I remembered to stop, usually it’s just whatever loaf is on sale.

My kids completely ignore the salad but attack the bread like they haven’t eaten in days. I used to try making it look all restaurant-pretty with herbs on top, but honestly nobody cares when they’re hungry. Sometimes I’ll grate some cheese over it if there’s a block sitting around, but that’s about as fancy as this gets around here. Keep that seasoned butter warm because people always want seconds and thirds.

How to Store Your Tomato Soup with Cheddar Bay Dumplings

Leftovers go in the fridge for maybe three days tops, but I’m telling you right now – those reheated dumplings are sad. They turn into dense little hockey pucks no matter how gentle you are with them. The soup part heats up fine on the stove, just go slow and add a splash of broth if it got thick.

I tried freezing this once and it was a disaster. The dumplings basically disintegrated when I thawed it out. Now if I want to freeze something, I just freeze the soup base without any dumplings and make fresh ones when I’m ready to eat it. Way better results and you don’t feel like you wasted a bunch of food.

Allergy Information

This has gluten from the flour and biscuit mix, plus dairy from the butter and whatever’s in that cheese powder. If you need gluten-free, I’ve seen gluten-free biscuit mixes at the store, but I can’t promise they’ll taste the same or puff up right.

For dairy-free people, you could try using olive oil instead of butter, but you’ll lose a lot of that rich flavor. I haven’t found a good dairy-free version of the Cheddar Bay mix either, so you might be out of luck unless you want to experiment with making your own.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of canned?

Yeah, you can, but you’ll need a ton of them – like 4 pounds probably. I tried this once during peak tomato season and it took forever to cook down. Plus fresh tomatoes aren’t as concentrated, so you might need more salt. Honestly, unless you’ve got amazing garden tomatoes, the canned ones work better and save you a bunch of time.

My dumplings sank to the bottom – what went wrong?

This happened to me early on when I had the heat up too high and the soup was basically boiling like crazy. Keep it at a gentle simmer, and don’t make your batter too watery. Also, once those dumplings go in, stop stirring! I know it’s tempting to poke at them, but just let them be.

Can I make this in a slow cooker?

The soup part works great in the slow cooker – I do it all the time when I’m working late. Just throw everything in there for about 4 hours on low. But don’t put the dumplings in the slow cooker. They turn into mush. Make the soup in there, then transfer it to a regular pot to add the dumplings.

How do I know when the dumplings are done?

They’ll look puffy and won’t be shiny on top anymore. If you’re not sure, fish one out with a spoon and cut it open. Raw dough in the center means they need more time. I’ve served raw dumplings before and it’s embarrassing, so definitely check.

💬 Tried this recipe? Drop a comment and let me know how it turned out! Did your kids fight over the dumplings like mine do? Any creative tweaks you discovered?