Tomato Basil Soup
Silky, bright soup made from canned tomatoes, fresh basil, and cream in under 25 minutes. A weeknight comfort classic that tastes like you spent hours on it.
- Total time
- 22 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 198
- Protein
- 4g
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic cloves
- 1 can canned whole tomatoes (28 oz can)
- 1.5 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup packed fresh basil
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- to taste salt and pepper
Instructions
- 1
Peel the papery skin off the yellow onion, cut it in half from root to tip, then place the flat side down on the cutting board and slice into thin half-moons, about the thickness of a dime.
- 2
Peel the garlic cloves and place them on the cutting board, press down hard with the flat side of a large knife until they crack, then mince into tiny pieces smaller than a grain of rice.
- 3
Pick the fresh basil leaves off the stems and discard the stems, then roughly tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces with your fingers.
- 4
Pour the olive oil into a large pot and set it over medium heat until the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pot, about 1 minute.
- 5
Add the sliced onion to the hot oil and stir with a wooden spoon once every 20 seconds until it turns soft and translucent, with no white pieces showing, about 5 minutes.
- 6
Add the minced garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds until it smells strongly fragrant and looks light golden, so it releases flavor without burning.
- 7
Pour the entire can of tomatoes (juice and all) into the pot and use the wooden spoon to break up the large tomato chunks into smaller pieces by pressing and stirring.
- 8
Pour in the vegetable broth, stir to combine, then set the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a gentle boil (small bubbles rising steadily from the bottom), about 4 minutes.
- 9
Turn the heat down to low so the soup simmers gently with just a few slow bubbles, then let it cook without stirring for 8 minutes so the flavors blend together.
- 10
Remove the pot from the heat and carefully pour the soup into a blender in two batches (fill it only halfway each time to avoid splashing), then blend on high speed for 45 seconds until completely smooth like silk.
- 11
Pour the blended soup back into the pot and set it over low heat, then stir in the heavy cream until the surface looks glossy and uniform, about 30 seconds.
- 12
Stir in the torn basil leaves and cook over low heat for 1 minute so the basil flavor infuses the soup without turning brown.
- 13
Taste a small spoonful, then add salt and pepper in small pinches, stir, taste again, and repeat until it tastes delicious to you.
- 14
Ladle the soup into bowls, finishing each bowl with a small drizzle of olive oil and a crack of black pepper if desired.
Tools you’ll need
- large pot (6-quart or bigger)
- wooden spoon
- blender
- ladle
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
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