What’s more classic than tomato basil soup? It’s cozy and bright, the perfect accompaniment to a grilled cheese or crusty bread. We created this recipe to use up an overabundance of basil from our bushy basil plant. It’s easy to make, but tastes like much more than the sum of its parts: tangy and garlicky, with an herby basil finish. Here’s how to make it, and a few more spins on tomato soup!
Ingredients for tomato basil soup
This tomato basil soup recipe is the definition of a classic soup: chop, sauté, simmer, and blend! We created it as a way to use some of our garden basil (see How to Grow Basil if you’re looking to grow your own!). Like most tomato soups, it uses canned tomatoes. The best part: it takes under 30 minutes to make! The ingredients for this tomato basil soup are:
Canned fire roasted tomatoes (see below) Onion Red bell pepper Garlic Fresh basil White wine vinegar Veggie broth Olive oil
Flavor secret: fire roasted canned tomatoes
Fire roasted tomatoes are key to the flavor in this tomato basil soup recipe. This type of tomatoes is roasted over an open flame before canning, which makes the flavor taste sweet and tangy right out of the can. This makes it possible to simmer the soup for less time than a plain canned tomato, which can taste bitter. Where to find fire roasted tomatoes? They should be available at your local grocery store, offered by several brands. If you can’t find them, use the best quality tomatoes you can find (San Marzanos are another flavorful variety). After simmering, taste and add a teaspoon or so of sugar if the flavor tastes bitter or flat.
Tips for tomato basil soup
There’s not much to making this tomato basil soup! It’s quick and simple, and uses mostly pantry ingredients (besides the fresh herb, of course!). Here are a few pointers to keep in mind:
Use fire roasted tomatoes. This variety tastes sweeter out of the can than the typical tomato, so it requires less simmering time. Can’t find fire roasted? Use the best quality tomatoes you can find. Taste and if the flavors need more developing, you can simmer a little longer. If you use an immersion blender, be careful! An immersion or stick blender let you leave the soup in the pan and blend it. But watch out: you can end up with red spatters everywhere! Be careful because the soup can spit. Or, carefully transfer the soup to a standard blender using a ladle. Make it a creamy soup if desired. Stir in a bit of heavy cream at the end to make a lusciously creamy puree. For vegan, use cashew cream.
How to serve it
Tomato basil soup needs a great pairing to make a filling meal! It’s full of vegetables and nutrients, but it’s not filling enough on its own to function as a meal since it doesn’t have much protein. Here are a few ideas on what to serve with tomato soup:
Serve with crusty bread and cheese. Try a good no knead artisan bread or sourdough. Serve with grilled cheese. A classic combo! Try gourmet grilled cheese, oven baked grilled cheese, or avocado grilled cheese. Add a quesadilla. Try this easy quesadilla. Serve with grilled cheese dippers! These pesto grilled cheese dippers are a family favorite. Add a tuna melt or Swiss melt. This tuna melt or Swiss melt would be a hearty accessory to this soup.
Tomato soup variations
This tomato basil soup is the most classic of our tomato soup recipes. But if you want to try something a little fancier, here are a few other tomato soup variations we love:
This tomato basil soup recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, refined sugar free, and naturally sweet. 5 from 3 reviews
