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!
Can I freeze it with the cream in it? I wondered if it would separate or be off? Looks great! Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Amy! So sorry for the delayed response. We have frozen this soup and have had no issue with the cream separating, but that can happen. We’ve had other readers say they froze it, too, without problems. The soup is so good, you may not have any left to freeze!! Let us know if you make it and what you think! Best, Kris & Wesley
Hi just wondering how many calories per serving? and what’s the serving size?
Hi there! One serving is approx. 1 cup and is around 190 calories (without the croutons). Hope this helps! Let us know if you make the soup and what you think! All the best, Kris & Wesley
The soup is delicious ! Very tasty and, what is worth mentioning, easy to prepare.
Thank you guys for a great recipe!
Hi Dorota! Woo hoo! We are thrilled you made the tomato basil soup and enjoyed it! Thank you so so much for sharing and for the GREAT review. That honestly means so much to us! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Delicious. Try it.
Thank you, Maria!!! That means the world to us!! (and we concur with your review of the soup!). Kris & Wesley
I had never made a tomato soup before as I don’t love tomatoes, but, my husband does! I figured I would give it a try and WOW! I made this after a long day of skiing and it was wonderful!! I loved the fresh basil and the depth of flavor you get by adding the roasted tomatoes! I have made it 4 times now. First time I followed the recipe exactly! Delicious! Second, I used milk instead of cream. Still delicious! Third, I omitted dairy and added diced rotisserie chicken and a shake or two of crushed red pepper. Oh my goodness!! Tonight I made it with no dairy, added red pepper flakes and chicken with grilled garlic cheese flatbread on the side instead of the croutons. This is now a staple in our house! Thank you!
I made this for company, a big hit! Everyone loved it. I followed recipe exactly, delicious! Thank you!
Planning to make this soup for guests. Can dry thyme be substituted for fresh?
Patricia
Hi Patricia! Absolutely…go 1 teaspoon (instead of 1 tablespoon). Let us know how it turns out!! We hope you have great success and let us know if you have any other questions! Kris & Wesley
Your soup was amazing! I can’t eat dairy so I substituted coconut milk. It was so delicious my husband couldn’t stop eating it. Thanks
Hi Joanne!! Woo hoo!!! So so glad you were able to make the coconut milk substitution and had such great success! That is just amazing and thank you SO MUCH for letting us know and for the awesome review! We truly appreciate that so so much!!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Hi, do you think I could roast the whole Roma tomatoes I have in my freezer from last summer? I guess I would thaw slightly cut in half and roast. Perhaps that would work. What’s your favorite way to use frozen whole tomatoes? Thanks so much!!
Hi Lindsey! They would be amazing! Thaw them, halve them lengthwise, and roast them as directed in the recipe. Nothing better than homegrown (even if they’ve been frozen!). Let us know how it turns out! Kris & Wesley
Love love this soup, my third time making! I’m doing low carb eating and this falls right in.
Toni!! That is SO SO AWESOME!! Thank you for letting us know and for the GREAT review! We appreciate that so very much! Best, Kris & Wesley
Another great recipe to add to my collection. The soup was delicious. My only hiccup was that I roasted the Roma tomatoes skin side up and they disintegrated a bit. I am going to double the recipe next time. Xoxo
Hi Alma! That can happen to the tomatoes as they roast. Sometimes it just depends on the size and/or freshness of the tomato, and you’re right, roasting them skin side down helps some. But, you’re still going to get that amazing roasted taste, even if they’ve come apart a bit. So so glad you enjoyed the recipe and thank you SO MUCH for letting us know and again for a wonderful review. We appreciate that so so much!!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
This is the BEST tomato basil I’ve ever had! Thank you so much!! I have made it twice now for my family & I add a little red pepper flakes for a little kick (not too much!) and I made the croutons, life changing. Thank you!
Hi Abby! Woo hoo!! We are so so thrilled you loved the roasted tomato basil soup and sounds like you prepared it perfectly!! And yeah…those croutons are something else, right? YUM!! Thank you SO MUCH for letting us know and for the wonderful review. We truly appreciate that from the bottom of our hearts!!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
I’ve made this soup over and over! It’s so good and it freezes well. Bake some bread with it and double yum!
We are so so thrilled you have had such great success with the tomato basil soup! Homemade baked bread with it? We’re coming over! YUM!!! Thanks for letting us know and for the great review. That means the world to us!! Kris & Wesley
I have always hated tomato soup. I tasted a roasted tomato basil soup in a restaurant once and to my surprise, I liked it. But the restaurant closed before I could have it again. I came across this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a shot. Absolutely amazing! My skeptical, tomato soup hating husband also loved it! I would not change a thing about this recipe.
Hi Jessica! You have no idea how happy this makes us! Yay!! You and your hubby are now tomato soup lovers!! We are so so happy you had such great success with the recipe and thank you SO MUCH for letting us know and for the awesome review. That means the world to us!! Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Love, love, love this recipe. Have made it several times.
Hi Deb!! Nothing makes us happier than to hear this!! We are thrilled you are loving our roasted tomato basil soup! It really is the ultimate in comfort soup, right? Stay in touch!!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
I made the roasted tomato basil soup, it was delicious! Will defiantly be making it again.
I never liked tomato soup… likely because I had only ever tried it out of a can; but my mom loves it and I wanted to make her a comfort food after she had a stroke. This is now her favorite soup and I was shocked when I tried it the first time and loved it too. That was a year ago. I’m making it for the 5th or 6th time right now and bought a crusty sourdough bread to make toasted Parmesan grilled cheese sandwiches to go with it. YUM!
Yay! We are thrilled you and your mom are enjoying our tomato basil soup! Thank you so so much for sharing and for the GREAT review! That means the world to us! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Can we just use tomatoes or do we need to do both tomatoes and the crushed tomatoes?
Hi Vanesa, we do find that the combination of the two types of tomatoes adds a nice depth to the soup. We wouldn’t recommend only going with crushed tomatoes. Roasting the tomatoes really gives amazing taste. We hope this helps. Please let us know if you make the soup and how it turns out! Best, Kris & Wesley