This creamy tomato basil soup recipe is a total copycat of my favorite soup at First Watch! Ready to serve in under 30 minutes and just perfect paired with a hot and melty classic grilled cheese sandwich…
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Growing up I hated tomato soup — like wouldn’t touch it with my spoon tied to a 10-foot pole, HATED IT. Believe me, my dad tried on numerous occasions to serve it to me for lunch. I was always considered a “good eater,” but it was one of the few foods that I steadfastly refused to eat.
Fast forward about 20 years to a random lunch with my hubby at First Watch. I decided to take a little taste of his cup of tomato basil soup, and I had a revelation… It was never been tomato soup itself that I hated! It’s that icky canned condensed blob of tomato-like substance that my dad always prepared that I despised.
So as with so many of my other favorite restaurant recipes, I set out to recreate that lovely creamy tomato basil soup at home. And I like to think my tomato basil soup recipe comes pretty darn close!
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Best Tomato Basil Soup Recipe Ever
A few things that make this (in my opinion) the BEST tomato basil soup recipe ever…
1| It starts with canned whole tomatoes. Surprised? I love fresh tomatoes as much as the next person, but making tomato basil soup with canned tomatoes gives you more consistency in flavor from batch to batch, while also making this a super easy and convenient recipe to prepare year round. Plus canned veggies actually rival fresh veggies when it comes to nutrients, because they’re harvested and packed at the peak of ripeness and freshness!
2| The addition of tomato paste adds more depth of flavor. Adding a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste really intensifies the tomato-y taste of this soup, especially when you add while sautéing the aromatics.
3| Fresh basil adds brightness. But if tomato and basil soup isn’t your thing, feel free to switch it up. Rosemary, thyme, parsley, and chives are also fabulous choices. It’s a great way to use up whatever fresh herbs you have on hand!
4| There’s just enough cream. While this IS a cream of tomato basil soup, we don’t have to be super heavy handed with the cream. Using just 1/2 cup of heavy cream is enough to add richness to the soup without adding a ton of extra calories. I think it’s the best of both worlds! Sometimes I’ll swap it for crème fraîche for a change of pace, and if you want to lighten it up a bit, you can totally just use milk.
How To Make Tomato Basil Soup
You seriously won’t believe just how easy this tomato soup is to prepare. It *really* doesn’t take much longer than heating up the canned stuff, and I promise you it tastes a gazillion times better! Just 10 minutes of simmering after sautéing the onion and garlic, puree, and serve — preferably with a hot and melty grilled cheese sandwich on the side.
pureeing hot homemade tomato basil soup
I’m not big on having a multitude of kitchen gadgets, but one that I can’t live without is this immersion blender. It makes pureeing hot soups, like this tomato basil soup, a total cinch, and it cleans up like a dream. If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option, I’ve heard this Cuisinart model is very good, as well.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can always drag out your blender or food processor. Please, please, PLEASE, just make sure to puree in small batches with plenty of headspace in your blending container. Hot liquids expand, and I’m hoping to save you all from spending hours cleaning tomato soup off of your walls, cabinets, ceiling, and every other possible kitchen surface — a lesson I learned the hard way as a newlywed.
PIN IT NOW! CLICK HERE TO ADD THIS CREAMY TOMATO BASIL SOUP RECIPE TO YOUR SOUP RECIPES BOARD ON PINTEREST! This creamy tomato basil soup recipe is a total copycat of my favorite soup at First Watch! Ready to serve in under 30 minutes and just perfect paired with a hot and melty classic grilled cheese sandwich... Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10
Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 134 Total Fat: 9.3g Saturated Fat: 5.7g Cholesterol: 28.7mg Sodium: 454.3mg Carbohydrates: 10.2g Fiber: 3.2g Sugar: 7g Protein: 2.4g
What To Serve With Tomato Basil Soup?
Hot and fresh grilled cheese sandwiches are a no brainer pairing for this easy tomato basil soup… Check out this brilliant sheet pan grilled cheese in the oven technique for making multiple grilled cheeses all at once in the oven while your soup is simmering away! SO EASY — you’ll never make grilled cheese on your stovetop again…
Other good options are this quick & easy homemade garlic bread loaf or this Italian chopped salad.
I’d love to see how your creamy tomato basil soup turns out… Tag me @Unsophisticook on Instagram or use the hashtag #Unsophisticook so I can check it out. Enjoy!
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wilhelmina says
This soup was the perfect thing to have for lunch on a dreary cold day yesterday. It came together in a snap and was SO delicious. Great recipe!
Elizabeth says
Nothing beats a good tomato and basil soup, unless it’s a tomato and basil soup served with a grilled cheese sandwich! I’ll have to try your oven method!
Patty says
This is seriously the best creamy tomato soup! This will definitely be on our table a few times a month!
Sapana says
This was seriously the best tomato soup! So easy and perfect.
Veena Azmanov says
This Creamy Tomato Basil soup is delicious. I can have it any day for Dinner. So easy to make too. Flavorful and yum!
Emily says
Nothing better than homemade tomato basil soup with a melty grilled cheese! Love this recipe!
Valentina says
The best creamy tomato soup recipe! Make this all the time for the family and they all love it!
Sara Welch says
Such a smooth and flavorful soup; it was perfect with our grilled cheese sandwiches last night!
Anna says
This soup is pure comfort food! Delicious!
Sarah says
Just found this recipe. Do you think one could pressure-can this? I LOVE my grandma’s recipe for home-canned tomato soup concentrate (have to admit, this is what I grew up on, so I never had the experience of eating from-a-tin-can tomato soup…but it looks disgusting). I’m just looking for something else to try.
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Hi Sarah! I’m not an expert in writing recipes for pressure canning — there’s a lot of science that goes into them to prevent spoilage. My first inclination is to say no, though. I know from canning tomatoes previously that they need an acid, like lemon juice, to preserve them.
Freezing it works great though! I just recommend freezing it without the cream and stirring it in when you reheat it.
Erika @ The Hopeless Housewife says
We love tomato soup and this looks fantastic!
Kris says
Just made this soup!….I’m a terrible cook and it turned out perfect and so yummy!
Thanks so much!
Keturah says
REALLY YUMMY SOUP!!!!! MAde it this weekend and can’t stop eating it. LOVE that it is easy and simple. ONLY FIVE STEPS!
Andrea hall says
I just made the soup and we love it. we made half the quantity since we just needed a small amount and we will be making it over and over. thanks for the simple and yummy recipe
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Glad you liked it, Andrea! It’s a family fave here too, and I love that it’s an easy meal paired with a gooey grilled cheese sandwich.
Rick says
I hate tomato soup (mostly because of the texture too)! But I’ve only tried the ones from the supermarket so I hope your recipe will change my opinion about this dish.
Sharon says
Is this something you could freeze, with the heavy cream in it? I love Tomato Basil Soup, but I’m the only one here that does, so it would be so convient to freeze this in quart size bags! Thanks!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
I haven’t tried freezing it, Sharon, but the ratio of cream to tomato is low enough that I think it should work. If you find that it’s grainy, you may want to just freeze it without the cream and stir a little in after you reheat it — and it’s actually still pretty delicious without the cream!
Lisa says
I make a homemade tomato soup too but with it I make homemade parm. croutons too! Double yummy!
Yvonne says
This sounds wonderful I have to try it. I did not like tomato soup either growing up but, as I have gotten older my taste buds have changed and this sounds awesome. Thanks for taken the time to share with us.. I appreciate..
Cassie says
My soup kick is in full swing, I could live on it this time of year. Love this!
Angie says
Looks so comforting!
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen says
Homemade tomato soup is the best, in fact it is rainy/snowy here today and I was thinking this would be perfect!
[email protected] Food Ramblings says
LOVE! I didn’t like tomato soup when I was younger either :)
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Oh, I think homemade veggie stock would be a great substitute! I don’t make my own stock nearly enough, and I really should.
Leah @ Whitefoot Blog says
I’ve always LOVED tomato soup – and now I’m trying to convince my tomato soup-hating boyfriend to try it again. This sounds perfect for a cold fall evening :)
Also, could you substitute the chicken stock for homemade vegetable stock?
Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch says
Tomato Basil Soup is perfect this time of year, but I’m with you – I detested the thought of it as a child. Now I can’t get enough of it.