Dinner, Lunch, Recipes · August 19, 2023

Creamy tomato soup with basil

Name: Creamy Tomato Soup with basil
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 15-20 tomatoes, Heirloom or Roma; 1 1/2 large onion; 1-2 heads of garlic; 1 cup water; 1/3 cup heavy cream; 1/4 cup basil; 3/4 cup olive oil; 2 Tbsp. Sea salt per baking sheet; 2 Tbsp. of fresh cracked pepper per baking sheet; Additional: Salt and pepper to taste, extra basil for topping, creme fraiche, thyme and additional olive oil.

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Homemade Creamy Tomato Basil Soup is one of those recipes that makes me think of my mom and grandma. But they never made tomato soup. At least not that I remember. They would always eat Campbell’s soup – my mom especially. She loved it, but I could never get behind it.

My mom always worked growing up. I think there was a short time where she stayed home with us, but I always remember her as a working mom. A lot of times she was like a single mom too because my dad worked until 9 p.m. every night as a car salesman. Every night, she made my brother and I dinner, but sometimes she would just eat some tomato soup.

Try, try, try again

As I grew older, I tried again. I attempted Panera’s Creamy Tomato Soup. And that changed something in me. I started enjoying it a bit. Then I decided to make a Creamy Tomato Soup with basil and that changed everything. I’m always a big believer that homemade food is some of the best food, but that’s especially true for my Creamy Tomato Soup with basil.

Roasting for success

My favorite way to make vegetables is by roasting them. It’s something I commonly do when making smooth vegetable-based soups For this Creamy Tomato Soup with basil, I’m roasting the tomatoes, onions and a whole head or two of garlic. You just really can’y beat the roasted flavor. It caramelizes everything to perfection and gives the soup a beautiful robust flavor.

The basil comes in after the roasting process and is simmered right along with all the other ingredients before it is blended.

I also use heavy cream in this hence the CREAMY Tomato Soup with basil. You can substitute with other milks if you like. But as long as you’re not vegan, I suggest using the heavy cream to get the whole flavor.

The full flavor depends on the tomato

This is one of those recipes that might turn out different each time you make it. That is in large part due to the tomatoes you use to make it. During the summer I use Heirloom tomatoes to make the Creamy Tomato Soup with basil. I use whatever I have growing or whatever I can find in the grocery store. If you want to learn how to grow more tomatoes better, click {HERE}.

If Heirloom tomatoes are not an options – as they often are not for me in late fall, winter and spring – then use Roma tomatoes. Generally reserved for sauce, Roma tomatoes will give you their best flavor once broken down and roasted. Plus, they are plentiful year-round.

Tips for making Creamy Tomato Soup with basil

Use the best extra virgin olive oil you can find. Olive oil is actually a large part of this recipe and you want to use the best to obtain the best flavor.
You will more than likely have to roast this in two bathes. I always do. I have one baking sheet in and then start slicing the ingredients for the other.
For this recipe, I have a handheld emulsion blender that I use for this recipe. I suggest using this kind of blender because you want to be able to simmer all the vegetables together for a bit before blending. So using a stand blender straight away will make for extra, messier work.
Use fresh basil. The basil goes into the Dutch Oven when all your other vegetables do and you want it to be fresh versus dried. You just won’t get the same flavor tossing in dried.
Again, the Creamy Tomato Soup with Basil uses heavy cream but if you generally use other kinds of milk, feel free to try those too. If you want to keep it vegan, I would suggest trying almond milk. I’ve never done it before, but I think the flavor will work best towards cutting the tomato acid.

Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! You can find the full, printable recipe below. And don’t forget to check out the other soups we have here on the blog.

Oh and by the way, my mom saw me making this live on my stories on Instagram and texted me about how good it looked. Told you she likes her tomato soup. 🙂