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 (1/2-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
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven, or soup pot
Ingredients
- 9 Roma tomatoes sliced lengthwise
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme minced
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes crushed
- 1 cup basil fresh, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2/3 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 tbsp 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!
Video
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!
Made this for dinner tonight – it was delicious! The color was gorgeous. Thank you for posting nutrition info as well — it really helps when meal planning!
Hi Jill!! Woo hoo!! We are so so so happy you love the roasted tomato basil soup! Thank you so much for letting us know and for the GREAT review! That means the world to us!!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
I absolutely LOVE this soup! I have made it so many times I almost have it memorized. It’s the perfect mix of flavors, so easy, and perfect for leftovers.
Thank you!!
Love, love, love this soup! I have made it a few times now and have changed one thing in the method that made it easier for me. I throw my tomato halves into the food processor after they have cooled for a few minutes out of the oven
Hi Colleen!! Yay!!! That’s so great to hear that you are loving our tomato basil soup!! And that’s a great idea using your food processor! BRAVO!!! Thanks very much for letting us know and for the great review. That honestly means the world to us!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Okay, I typically never leave comments but this soup is beyond delicious! I’m not quite sure there is a word to describe how amazing it is! My daughter is super picky and I mean picky and she LOVES it! Next time i will be making a double batch. Thank you for this recipe. I can’t wait to try more recipes!!
Hi Tamara!! That is so AWESOME to hear!! We are THRILLED you are loving the roasted tomato basil soup and especially your ‘picky’ daughter! Major WIN!! Thanks so much for letting us know and, of course, for the fabulous review. We appreciate that so very much!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
I have a confession to make – I typically steer clear of recipe blogs. I know I am surely missing some gems but it drives me nuts that I have to scroll through tons of useless info and the same pics over and over to finally score the actual recipe. Holy cow have I hit blog recipe heaven here. This site is my new go to for new recipes. Concise, relevant info and absolutely perfect videos (with two cutie pies that make me smile). Thank you for your perfect balance of recipe/tips/info/adorableness!!
Oh… and the tomato soup…. it is DIVINE!!! Making it for the second time on this cold rainy day and I am over the moon about it! Thanks guys!!
Okay…Heather…we have a confession to make…we are literally both smiling so big from ear to ear after reading your comment and even fighting back a tear or two of joy! THANK YOU SO MUCH for your kind words and we are over-the-moon excited that you are lovin’ our blog! Thank you for letting us know and please stay in touch!!! xoxoxo Kris & Wesley
Thank you for this recipe. The soup was delicious. It was my first time making a tomato soup recipe and this will certainly be the only recipe I use. Like others have said, it goes well with grilled cheese sandwiches.
Hi Lorna!! We are over-the-moon excited that you had such wonderful success with our roasted tomato basil soup recipe!! And thank you so so much for letting us know and for the great review. We can’t thank you enough for that!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
This soup is amazing! Goes great with a grilled cheese or a BLT!
HI Kelsey!! Yay!! So glad you enjoyed the tomato basil soup, and you are so right…it was made for grilled cheese sammies!!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Made this tonight and the bf said he doesn’t typically care for tomato soup but this soup was the best and it’s been requested for future dinners.
Hi Crystal!! That is music to our ears!! Way to knock it out of the park!!! So glad you and the bf enjoyed the tomato soup so much, and thank you so much for letting us know!!! Stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Absolutely loved this recipe. It’s easy, quick, and allows you to have left overs for a couple nights. I used this soup as a sauce for my pasta and boy was it delicious. Thank you for this amazing recipe!!!!
So glad you liked it!! And thank you for the idea of using it as a pasta sauce!!!!
I think this may be the best thing I’ve ever eaten. Easy recipe, and fairly hands-off which was great. I paired it with grilled cheese sandwiches (sourdough, cooked with mayo instead of butter, and stuffed with extra sharp cheddar & havarti) and a grilled romaine salad for a cold winter’s day.
Could not recommend this recipe enough!! Will be making again for sure.
Katie!! You are making us hungry reading your comment!! Wow!! That’s a perfect meal, especially on a cold winter day!! Thanks so much for letting us know!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
I made this soup today. This is the BEST tomato soup I’ve made! Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I will be making this again and again!
Hi Tricia! That is so amazing to hear!! We are thrilled you loved the tomato soup!!! And thank you for letting us know and for the awesome review! We can’t express enough how much we appreciate that!!! All the very best, Kris & Wesley
I don’t have a hand immersion mixer, and instead of using a blender, would a regular hand mixer work? Thanks!!
Hi Caitlyn! Sure, you can use a hand mixer. If it’s electric, it will be a snap, if not, it will take a little more elbow grease. The immersion blender really makes a smooth soup, but we think a soup that’s a little chunky is wonderful, too. You’ll be great! Let us know if you make it and what you think. All the best, Kris & Wesley
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to make it!
Turned out amazing! I borrowed my mom’s immersion blender and it made it so creamy but still had some chunks which was the perfect consistency for this soup! Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome!!! Thank you for letting us know and so happy you had such great success! Yay, Mom!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
I watched your video and decided I had to make this soup!! The problem I had was not being able to get the Roma tomatoes the size you used so I added a cpl extra. The soup was very good but didn’t seem as creamy as yours. Could that have been from using the extra tomatoes?
I still loved the recipe and will definitely try and make it again!!
Hi there Renda! Sorry for the delayed response! It’s hard to say! It could be the ratio of tomatoes to cream was slightly different. You could always add a tad more cream until you reach your favorite level of creaminess! Some folks don’t even add the cream, and it’s still so delicious! Keep us posted and thanks so much for the great review!! That means the world to us!! Best, Kris & Wesley
Amazing
Thank you SO MUCH!!!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
I have never been a huge fan of tomato soup, but I made this for my mom when she was a little under the weather and she loved it. To my surprise, my dad and I loved it too. We had it with a sourdough grilled cheese and it was fantastic. I’ve made this a few times now this fall and it’s always a hit. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
– Shelly
Hi Shelly!! That is so so wonderful to hear!! We hope your mom is feeling better! And we are so thrilled to hear that not only did she enjoy the soup (with sourdough grilled cheese! YUM!!), but you and your dad did, too!! YES!!! Thanks so much for letting us and for the GREAT review! That means the world to us!! All the very best, Kris & Wesley
I was just wondering if you skip the heavy cream would it be as good?
So sorry for the delayed response, Nicole! Yes!! The cream adds a little more luxurious taste to it, but we think the soup it still really delicious without it. Even almond milk is great, too!! Let us know if you try it and what you think!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Hi guys! OMG soooo good….I did skip the heavy cream…but it was amazing! Thanx for your reply and this amazing recipe. Nicole.
Yes!! Not quite as luxurious, but still delicious! Almond milk is a good substitute for the cream. Let us know if you make it and what you think! Best, Kris & Wesley