Fresh Tomato and Basil Soup

There’s nothing better than fresh summer tomatoes, especially from your own garden! The only problem is that they all seem to ripen at the same time. That’s when we pull out our recipe for Fresh Tomato Basil Soup. Served with crusty bread and some cheese, this is one of our favorite summertime meals.

Even if you don’t have a garden, you should be able purchase delicious, vine-ripened tomatoes at the farmers markets and grocery stores during the summer months. And, once you have the tomatoes, you can whip this up in less than 45 minutes. We typically take the easy way out and chop the tomatoes – skins, seeds and all. However, if you want the soup to be smoother, you’ll need to blanch, peel and deseed them.

For convenience and fewer dishes to wash, we use our immersion stick blender and purée the soup right in the saucepan. Of course, you can use a regular blender too. Just let the soup cool somewhat, then blend a few cups at a time. Remove the center portion of the blender top and cover with a folded up dish towel. Hold the towel firmly in place with one hand as you turn on the blender with the other, to prevent the pressure from blowing off the top. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a mess to clean off the walls and nothing left to eat!

If you don’t have a blender don’t worry. The soup is just as wonderful served chunky. Take a look at the variations for more ideas. And, if you don’t want to make quite as much soup as the recipe calls for, just cut the recipe in half. We usually see how many tomatoes we have and then decide if we want to make the full recipe or not.

Difficulty:

Easy!

Cost:

Inexpensive!

Serves:6people

Serving Size:1 cup

Fresh Tomato and Basil Soup

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

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Add to Meal Plan: Select Course to Add: BreakfastLunchSnackDinnerDessert This recipe has been added to your Meal Plan

Our fresh tomato basil soup goes together very quickly and is best made during the summer when tomatoes are at their peak. You can also make it with chopped fresh tomatoes that were frozen or canned tomatoes. See all of the variations too. This soup is extremely versatile.

• CourseSoup
• CuisineMediterranean, Vegetarian

Tools:knife and cutting board, large (4-quart) saucepan, measuring cups and spoons, blender (optional)

	Prep Time
	45 minutes start to finish

Prep Time 45 minutes start to finish

Difficulty: Easy! Cost: Inexpensive! Serves:6people Serving Size:1 cup

Fresh Tomato and Basil Soup Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe Add to Meal Plan: Select Course to Add: BreakfastLunchSnackDinnerDessert This recipe has been added to your Meal Plan Our fresh tomato basil soup goes together very quickly and is best made during the summer when tomatoes are at their peak. You can also make it with chopped fresh tomatoes that were frozen or canned tomatoes. See all of the variations too. This soup is extremely versatile. CourseSoup CuisineMediterranean, Vegetarian Tools:knife and cutting board, large (4-quart) saucepan, measuring cups and spoons, blender (optional) Prep Time 45 minutes start to finish Prep Time 45 minutes start to finish

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion
• 2 tablespoons high heat cooking oil
• 1 large carrot (optional)
• 4 medium tomatoes or 1 (28-ounce) can diced or crushed tomatoes
• 2-1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 cup basil leaves (lightly packed)
• 1/2 lemon

Garnish: (optional)

• 6 sprigs Basil

Servings: people

Units:MetricUS Imperial

Instructions

1. Chop onion. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and begin to cook, stirring occasionally.
2. Thinly slice (or grate) carrot and add to saucepan. Lower heat if needed and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of broth. Cook and stir another 5 to 7 minutes, until very soft and slightly caramelized.
3. While onions and carrots cook, cut the tomatoes* in half and gently squeeze out some of the juices and seeds, then discard. Finely chop tomatoes. This should yield about 4 cups. Add tomatoes. Cook and stir another 3 to 5 minutes.

   
4. Add remaining broth, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

   
5. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then lower to medium-low and simmer (uncovered) about 30 minutes. Add more broth if desired. (The amount of broth depends on how juicy your tomatoes are and how thick you like your soup.)
6. If desired, blend until smooth. Alternatively, serve chunky style.
7. While soup simmers, chop basil* and stir into soup, along with the juice of half a lemon. Adjust seasonings, to taste.

   
8. Stir in the basil and squeeze the juice of one lemon into the soup right before serving.
9. Garnish with a sprig of basil if desired.

Recipe Notes

VARIATIONS:

1. Creamy Tomato Basil Soup: Cook with 2 cups broth. Stir in 1/2 cup cream or half and half, along with the basil at the end. Eliminate the lemon. Gently reheat if needed, but do not boil once the cream has been added.
   
2. Tomato White Bean Soup: Add 1 (14-ounce) can navy or Great Northern beans (rinsed) during last 5 minutes of cooking. Blend or serve chunky style.
3. Add 1/2 cup fire roasted red peppers to soup, and blend.

*Technique:
To make a smoother soup, blanch, peel and deseed the tomatoes first. See How to Peel and Deseed a Tomato.

*Terminology:

Chiffonade – French term meaning “little ribbons.” It’s basically the same as cutting into julienne strips, but this term is typically used for herbs and leafy greens. Pull leaves off stems. Stack about 6 to 8 similar sized leaves, then roll up, like you would roll a piece of paper into a tube. Slice across to form thin strips as you move down the roll.  Use as strips or cut across to chop.

Julienne – To cut food into thin, 1/4 to 1/8-inch-thick strips, that are about 2 inches long. Can be used as an adjective as well (julienne strips) Examples: Often used for vegetables, but also for grilled meats that may be added to salads.

 

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