Tomato and Basil Soup (Printable Version)

A velvety Italian soup of ripe tomatoes simmered with basil, garlic, and olive oil. Ready in under an hour.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 3.3 pounds ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

04 - 3 cups vegetable broth
05 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

→ Herbs & Seasoning

06 - 1 small bunch fresh basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
07 - 1 teaspoon sugar, optional to balance acidity
08 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish

09 - 1/4 cup heavy cream or plant-based cream, optional

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until softened, approximately 5 minutes.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to break down.
04 - Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a gentle simmer. Add sugar if desired. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
05 - Remove from heat and add basil leaves. Use an immersion blender to purée soup until silky smooth, or blend in batches using a countertop blender.
06 - Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. For extra richness, stir in heavy cream if using.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It tastes like the kind of soup you'd get at a small Italian trattoria, but you can make it on a weeknight without any fuss.
  • The flavor deepens as it sits, so leftovers the next day are even better than the first bowl.
  • You only need one pot and an immersion blender, which means cleanup is practically nonexistent.
  • It's the perfect base recipe you can dress up or down depending on your mood or what's in the fridge.
02 -
  • Don't skip adding the basil before blending, it releases more flavor when pureed with the hot soup than if you just stir it in at the end.
  • If your soup tastes a little flat, it probably needs more salt, not more seasoning, so taste and adjust before adding anything else.
  • Let the soup cool slightly before blending in a countertop blender or the pressure can cause the lid to pop off.
03 -
  • Use an immersion blender instead of transferring hot soup to a blender, it's safer, faster, and means one less dish to wash.
  • If your tomatoes aren't perfectly ripe, the small spoonful of sugar isn't optional, it balances the acidity and brightens the whole pot.
  • Always drizzle good olive oil on top just before serving, it adds a fruity richness that makes the soup taste restaurant quality.
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