Description
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup with slow-roasted Roma tomatoes, fragrant basil, and a silky finish. Simple, cozy, and perfect with grilled cheese or crunchy homemade croutons.
Ingredients
9 Roma tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (28 oz) can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
1 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups chicken stock
2/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Arrange tomato halves cut-side up, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast 1 hour; set aside.
2. In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm butter (or remaining olive oil). Add diced onion; cook about 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
3. Stir in garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; cook 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Add crushed San Marzano tomatoes, chopped basil, and sugar. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes to meld flavors.
5. Add roasted tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Blend soup with an immersion blender until smooth, or carefully blend in batches in a standard blender to desired texture.
7. Return to pot if needed. Stir in heavy cream. Warm gently until heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
Notes
Use thick slices of fresh Roma tomatoes for best roasting results; remove any blemishes.
Roasted tomatoes can be made up to 1 day in advance, but using them within a few hours is recommended.
Fresh herbs are ideal, but dried thyme (1 1/2 teaspoons) and dried basil (1/4 cup) can be used if necessary.
Substitute whole milk or half-and-half for cream to reduce richness. For a dairy-free version, omit cream entirely.
Swap vegetable stock for chicken stock to make it vegetarian.
Storage: Refrigerate up to 1 week; freeze up to 2 months.
Variation: Use only canned tomatoes (1 can crushed + 1 can whole, preferably certified San Marzano) if needed.
Optional topping: Homemade croutons (bread cubes tossed with olive oil, garlic, and seasoning, baked at 400°F for about 8 minutes).
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 105 minutes
- Category: Soup Recipes
- Method: Roasted & Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: about 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 389 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 37 mg