Easy Tomato Basil Soup

Name: Easy Tomato Basil Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil (, (for oil-free use a little bit of water)); 1 medium onion (, diced); 3 large cloves garlic (, minced); 7 cups (49 oz / 1.4 KG) chopped fresh tomatoes (, (large, cherry, grape, or a mixture)); 1 large handful fresh basil (, roughly chopped); 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (, or to taste ); 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (, or to taste)

Published: Nov 10, 2015 · Modified: Aug 29, 2022 by Melanie McDonald · This post contains affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 99 Comments

Ingredients

Here is what you will be needing to make Tomato Basil Soup:

The ingredients list is very short. We're talking just fresh tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, onion, garlic and seasonings. You can use any variety of fresh tomatoes such as plum tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, cherry, grape, vine, beefsteak etc, or a combination.

Success Tip - The better the tomatoes you use, the better your soup will taste. This is a great recipe to make when you can use homegrown or local tomatoes in summer.

How To Make Tomato Basil Soup

In just 10 minutes and a few simple steps, you could be tucking into a bowl of this fresh and delicious Tomato Basil Soup. It's so quick and easy. Here's how it's done:

Sauté the garlic and onion
Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until hot and just starting to break down.
Add the basil and seasoning.
Blend with an immersion blender in the pan or transfer to a blender (if doing this you might need to work in batches). Blend until smooth. There is no need to cook the soup any longer once the basil is added. Certainly don't let it boil or you will lose much of its flavour.

Success tip - The only liquid you need for this soup comes from the tomatoes. There is no need to add any extra. Cooking the soup this way ensures the flavour stays super fresh and undiluted.

Variations

Prefer a creamier tomato bisque-style soup? Stir through a little store-bought vegan cream, light coconut milk, homemade cashew cream or even a little cashew milk just before serving and allow to warm through.

If you are looking for a creamy tomato soup made from canned tomatoes give my Instant Pot Tomato Soup a try. It includes stove top instructions.

Serving Suggestions

Wondering what goes with Tomato Basil Soup? I love to serve mine with a drizzle of vegan cream or good extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of cracked black pepper. A side of bread and butter or a grilled cheese sandwich would not go amiss. Other accompaniments that work well include:

Tomato Basil Soup Recipe FAQs

Do you need to peel and deseed the tomatoes?

No. Just chop them up and throw them in. By the time it's blended you don't know they are there anyway!

Can I use canned tomatoes?

Not for this recipe. It relies on the flavour of the fresh tomatoes too much. The recipe would need a complete overhaul to work well with canned tomatoes. I recommend you try this recipe instead (it says Instant Pot but has stove top instructions too): https://avirtualvegan.com/instant-pot-tomato-soup/

My fresh tomatoes aren't the best. How can I amp up the flavour?

I would add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste/puree and 2 to 3 teaspoons of white or cane sugar. Sugar enhances the flavors of food just like salt does and works especially well with tomatoes. It also helps cuts any bitterness. Tomato paste will thicken the soup so you might need to add a drop of water or vegetable broth/stock too.

Is Tomato Basil Soup good for weight-loss?

There are only about 280 calories in the entire pan of this soup. It is very low in fat and calories. You can even make it completely fat-free by omitting the olive oil and sautéing the onions and garlic in a drop of water instead. I've been told it works very well for people following Slimming World and Weight Watchers.

📖 Recipe