If there was ever the ultimate comfort soup, this bowl of deliciousness would be a serious contender.
We go with a combination of fresh tomatoes and canned crushed tomatoes for the perfect taste and texture. The fresh basil and stock are just the right amount of balance to the soup. The cream adds depth and luxuriousness. And, once you’ve roasted the tomatoes, the soup comes together in about 30 minutes!
HOW TO MAKE ROASTED TOMATO SOUP
Roasting the tomatoes for this easy tomato basil soup delivers a deeply satisfying taste for the soup.
You can really go with any type of tomato here, but we find Roma tomatoes work best. And, they are typically available all year.
ROASTING THE TOMATOES IS EASY
Simply preheat your oven to 375°F, line a large baking sheet with foil, and slice the tomatoes in half.
If using whole tomatoes, then cut them into thick (½-inch) slices. Drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. After baking for 1 hour, they will be tender and perfectly cooked.
EXPERT TIP: The tomatoes can be roasted in advance, up to 24 hours. Once the pan is cool enough to handle, cover the tomatoes with either kitchen towels (not pressing down on them), or with plastic wrap. When ready to use, carefully transfer the roasted tomatoes with a spatula (or your hands) from the baking sheet to the pot.
After sautéing chopped onions in olive oil, throw in 4 minced cloves of garlic along with some chopped fresh thyme.
Next goes in a large can (28 oz) of crushed tomatoes and the fresh basil.
Season with salt and pepper and let simmer for just 10 minutes.
FRESH TOMATO BASIL SOUP IN ABOUT 30 MINUTES
Once the canned tomatoes have simmered with the basil, it’s time to add in the roasted tomatoes.
Add the stock and let simmer on low for 20 to 30 minutes.
We’re getting close, folks!
To reach the right consistency, we use our immersion blender.
EXPERT TIP: You could also purée the soup in a blender or even a food processor. Using either of these appliances will give you a very smooth texture. The immersion blender allows you to make the soup as smooth, or textured, as you desire. Whichever method you opt for, use caution. The soup is hot and can splatter and cause a burn if it reaches your skin.
A final addition of heavy cream adds a depth of silkiness and taste that makes this the best-ever creamy tomato basil soup recipe on the planet.
The soup is now ready to eat, or you can keep it at a low simmer until ready to serve.
EXPERT TIP: You can substitute whole milk or half-and-half in place of the heavy cream. The finished soup will not be as silky, and the cream does add a layer of taste that we think is wonderful, but the other options are fantastic, too. For a completely dairy-free version, don’t add the cream or milk at all.
THE PERFECT SOUP FOR ENTERTAINING
This soup is so satisfying and always gets rave reviews when we serve it to guests.
Silky, cream, and layers upon layers of taste.
And it’s so easy to prepare!
ROASTED TOMATO BASIL SOUP FAQs
- Can I use only canned tomatoes? Yes, but you won’t get the deep roasted taste from roasting fresh tomatoes. If using only canned, skip the roasting steps of the recipe and go with two 28 oz. cans of tomatoes, we recommend one can of crushed tomatoes, and one can of whole tomatoes, preferably San Marzano (make sure the can is labeled “certified”).
- What about dried herbs, can I use them? For the thyme, absolutely, go with 1½ teaspoons of dried. For the basil, you won’t get those beautiful specs of basil, and the flavor won’t be as robust, but in a pinch, you could go with ¼ cup of dried basil.
- How do you make those delicious looking croutons? Cut a loaf of bread into thin slices. Cube the slices (2 or 3) and place them in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 minced garlic clove, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 400°F and bake until golden, flipping once – about 8 minutes.
- How long will the soup keep? As with so many soups and stews, this gets even better the next day. It will keep in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week and freezes beautifully for up to 2 months.
THE PERFECT DUNKING SOUP
You and your loved ones will flip when you serve this amazing soup. Other favorite soup recipes are our:
Rustic Lentil Soup
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Classic French Onion Soup
Homemade Chicken and Dumplings
But in the meantime, make this amazing Roasted Tomato Basil Soup! The PERFECT soup for grilled cheese sandwich dunking!
Ready to make the best tomato basil soup in the world? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a picture, post it on Instagram, and tag @howtofeedaloon and hashtag #howtofeedaloon!
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Video
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven, or soup pot
Ingredients
- 9 Roma tomatoes sliced lengthwise
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme minced
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes crushed
- 1 cup basil fresh, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Spread tomato halves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and then sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
- Roast tomatoes for 1 hour. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoon oil, or butter, in a large pot (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat.
- Add onion, and saute for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Sauté for another minute.
- Add crushed tomatoes, basil, and sugar to the pot. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add the stock and the roasted tomatoes into the pot. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every now and then.
- Use an immersion blender to purée the soup, or very carefully transfer to a blender or food processor to purée. This would most likely need to be done in a couple batches. Return the soup to the pot.
- Stir in the cream.
- To make the mini croutons: Cut a few small pieces of bread in small cubes, add a little oil, diced garlic and basil...bake at 400 for about 7 minutes... these make wonderful croutons!
- Add the croutons to the top of the served soup. Serve at once!
Notes
Nutrition
POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in March 2014, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe, new tips, photography, and a brand-new fabulous video in March 2020!
Kirsten Frandsen says
Best soup ever…. Simple recipe
Kris Longwell says
Hi Kirsten!! We are THRILLED you loved the roasted tomato and basil soup and had such great success with it! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing and for the wonderful review. That means the world to us! Please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
Ashley says
This soup is fabulous. I crave it. One thing I did differently the second (and every time thereafter), I roasted my garlic with the tomatoes. And IF you have any leftovers, you can toss it with grilled chicken, pasta and parmesean cheese. So good.
Kris Longwell says
Hi Ashley! We love that you are enjoying our roasted tomato basil soup and the addition of roasted garlic is perfection! Thanks so much for sharing and for the wonderful review. That means the world to us!!! Please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
Stephanie L says
I have made this soup before and it is FABULOUS. I probably commented then, but wanted to share now, that I made it during a heat wave as I had a bunch of fresh tomatoes, canned San Marzanos, a bumper crop of basil in my garden and some heavy cream in the fridge. I was going to freeze it once it was finished cooking and cooling because the weather was so hot and miserable. In the end it smelled so heavenly, that we decided to eat it at room temperature with a lovely salad of greens, pecans, cranberries and bleu cheese. Just as FABULOUS as hot soup on a cold day. I will make this again in the summer. It is wonderful no matter the weather. Thank you once again Kris & Wesley!! Love from New Jersey!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Stephanie!! This makes us so happy!!!! You had the perfect ingredients to really make this soup shine!!! We understand about the smell being so enticing!!! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing and the wonderful review! And, we’re jealous, we’re ending the tomato season here in Texas, and you’re just getting started! ENJOY!!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Virginia says
I used our home grown tomatoes, onions and basil. This turned out fantastic! Thanks for a great recipe.
Kris Longwell says
Yum!!! We LOVE that you made the soup with homegrown tomatoes, onions, and basil! It must have been heavenly!! Thanks so much for sharing and for the GREAT review! We appreciate that very much! Please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
Ashley says
My husband is going to divorce me when he gets home. I shamefully used a different recipe that did not include the San Marzano tomatoes and he is going to give me so much shit. Your roasted tomato soup is his ultimate cold day comfort food and I will never not follow your recipe again. 10/10
Kris Longwell says
Oh no!! He’ll still love you anyway!!! LOL!! We are glad you and your hubby are loving our version!!! Thanks for letting us know and for the fabulous review!!!! Stay in touch!! xo
Ruth says
I have the ingredients and I am ready to roll up my sleeves to make this wonderful sounding soup. Do you roast the tomatoes cut side down or up? And does the skin of the tomato need to be removed before adding to the pot? I can’t wait to try this! Thank you!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Ruth! We roast our tomatoes cut side up and leave the skins on. Let us know how your soup turns out. It’s an all-time favorite of ours.
Annemarie Salisbury says
This soup is so. Amazing! I’m sure I’ve made it at least once a month over fall and winter. And I have actually changed it up to using 2 cans of fire-roasted tomatoes instead of roasting them. I also have not used sugar or basil. I know, I know! But looking forward to trying it with the basil when I get some growing!
I have added leftover rotisserie chicken to it, and tonight also a bit of crushed red pepper.
Peggy says
I make this soup on the regular- it is amazing! I throw the onions and garlic in the pan with the tomatoes and roast them. Do you have your grilled cheese sandwich posted somewhere? Thank you
Kris Longwell says
Hi Peggy! We don’t have a recipe for perfect grilled cheese sandwich on the blog, but you just made us realize we need one!!! Great idea of roasting the onions and garlic with the tomatoes! Such depth of flavor!!Thanks for sharing and we’ll add grilled cheese to our line-up!!
Haley says
Could this be made in a crockpot? Thanks!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Haley, you could certainly keep it warm in your Crockpot. You’d at least want to roast the tomatoes first, and we would recommend sautéing the onions, too. Then, you could let everything cook on LOW for 8 hours (HIGH for 3 to 4) and then use an immersion blender to make smooth. Then stir in the cream. We’ve never done this before, but, it should work and be delicious. Let us know if you try it and how it turns out! Best, Kris & Wesley
Lindsay says
This was my first time making tomato soup! It was so easy and fun to make. Not to mention delicious! I’ll be eating this with some homemade focaccia for dipping.
Kris Longwell says
Hi Lindsay! Yay! We are so so happy you made the roasted tomato basil soup and had such a great time! Homemade focaccia is the PERFECT bread to dip into it. YUM!! Thanks for sharing! Please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
Kathy says
Can I substitute coconut milk for the cream?
Kris Longwell says
Hi Kathy! Yes! You might have a bit of a coconut taste with the soup, but, that actually sounds pretty yummy to us! Let us know if you try it and what you think! Best, Kris & Wesley
Corry Ann Moore says
I roasted the onion and garlic too. It was amazing!
Kris Longwell says
Awesome! Sounds perfect! Thanks for sharing and for the wonderful review. That means so much to us! Please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
Lizzie says
This is my tried and true tomato soup recipe. I’ve made it a dozen times and it never fails!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Lizzie! We are so thrilled you are enjoying our tomato basil soup and having such great success with it! Woo hoo!! Thank you so so much for sharing and for the wonderful review. That means so much to us!! Please stay in touch! xo Kris & Wesley