This creamy, comforting Tomato Basil Soup is bursting with robust tomato flavor! Finished with a drizzle of balsamic and serve with a dollop of pesto and your favorite grilled cheese or crunchy croutons for the ultimate homemade tomato soup recipe!
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Sweat veggies: Melt the butter with the oil in a large heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until just translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just soft, about 4-5 minutes.
Add aromatics: Add the garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning; along with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir to coat. Continue to cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add paste: Add the tomato paste to the pot and cook, stirring constantly, until caramelized, about 1-2 minutes.
Add sun-dried tomatoes, bouillon + water: Add the sliced sun-dried tomatoes and crumble the bouillon cubes over the veggies in the pot. Stir in the water and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes, or until sun-dried tomatoes are rehydrated.
Add tomatoes: Add the fresh tomatoes (or canned with juices) to the pot. Stir to combine.
Bring to simmer: Increase heat to medium-high and return the tomato soup to a simmer. Decrease heat to maintain a gentle simmer (low to medium-low heat) and cover the pot.
Cook: Let the soup simmer, covered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are broken down and the veggies are ultra-soft.
Add the whole Basil leaves: Turn off the heat under the pot (gas stove) or remove the pot from the heating element (electric stove-top). Stir the whole basil leaves into the soup.
Blend: Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to a creamy consistency. Alternatively, you can carefully transfer the soup in batches, to a high powdered blender and blend until smooth. Return the soup to the pot.
Add cream: Return the pot to low heat and add in the cream. Stir well. Taste the soup and adjust for seasoning/umami/sweetness/heat, by adding more salt or stir in vinegar, sugar, and/or red pepper flakes as desired.
Serve: Ladle the creamy tomato basil soup into bowls. Garnish with chopped basil or your favorite fresh herbs, along with freshly grated parmesan cheese, halved cherry tomatoes, and/or pesto if using. Enjoy!
Notes
Fresh Tomatoes: The best fresh tomatoes for soup are the ones that look best at the store. That said, I typically reach for Plum tomatoes or Roma tomatoes).
Chopping Tomatoes: If your tomatoes are small, halve them; medium, quarter; large, rough chop. Don’t forget to reserve all the tomato juices and add those to the soup pot!
Sun-dried Tomatoes: If you can only find whole sun-dried tomatoes, just slice, or chop them yourself. A pair of sharp kitchen shears makes easy work of this!
Vinegar: While entirely optional, finishing this soup with a splash – or more! – of white balsamic or regular balsamic vinegar is AMAZING! I always feel like the soup is missing that special something until I add touch of this ingredient. (Tip: Use balsamic sparingly and to taste and it can be over-powering.)
Sugar: The sugar is completely optional. If my tomatoes are on the abnormally tart side, I will typically add a pinch of brown sugar, just to balance it out. However, with the carrots and sweet sun-dried tomatoes, you shouldn’t need to add any – UNLESS you prefer your tomato soup on the sweet side. Tip: Before you add sugar, try adding white or regular balsamic vinegar for sweetness!
Recipe Yield: approximately 5-6 cupsNutritional information is an approximation based upon 6 (1 cup) servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.