Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Creamy tomato basil soup is one of my favorite comfort foods at any time during the year.

If you’re looking for a simple weeknight dinner with minimal ingredients but a rich taste, this recipe is for you!

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What is Creamy Tomato Basil Soup?

This soup is a comfort food classic made with san marzano tomatoes, onions, garlic, dried herbs, and cream.

Optional: Serve with Grilled Cheese

You may not need to eat a grilled cheese with your creamy tomato basil soup, but it sure makes the experience even better! My favorite way to make grilled cheese is using: (1) sourdough bread, (2) a cheese cheese blend, and (3) and butter to toast the grilled cheese.

Ingredient Breakdown:

If you want to make the best creamy tomato basil soup, make sure you have the following ingredients:

Butter
Yellow Onion
Garlic
Dried Basil
Dried Oregano
Dried Thyme
Salt
Red Chili Flakes
San Marzano Tomatoes
Veggie Broth
Evaporated Milk

How to Make Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

To make your tomato soup, start by sautéeing your onions in butter until translucent.
Then, add in your garlic and cook for another minute or so, until fragrant.
Now, add dried basil, oregano, thyme, and red chili flakes and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute.
Finally, add in your canned tomatoes, veggie broth, water, and salt, and let the mixture simmer for about 30 minutes on a low heat.
Before serving, blend the mixture together with an immersion blender, and then add in your cream, mix well, and serve.

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Can I use regular tomatoes for this recipe?

Unfortunately, no. To make the perfect creamy tomato basil soup it’s essential to use canned san marzano tomatoes because they have the right balance of sweetness and tartness that will elevate your tomato soup and make it taste like you got it straight from a restaurant.

How do I make this dish vegan?

If you’re vegan, feel free to use canned coconut milk instead. Preferably, full-fat canned coconut milk since you need a pretty thick milk to get the right texture for this dish.

5 from 1 vote

Creamy Tomato Soup

The ultimate comfort food – a rich and creamy tomato basil soup with the perfect kick!

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: comfort food, creamy tomato basil soup, creamy tomato soup, hot and sour soup, tomato basil soup, tomato soup, vegan, vegetarian

Yield:

Materials

2 tbsp Butter (I used vegan earth balance butter)
1 c Yellow Onions chopped
2.5 tbsp Garlic chopped
1.5 tsp Dried Basil Leaves (Or a Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves)
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Red Chili Flakes
28 oz San Marzano Tomatoes
14 oz Veggie Broth
1 c Water
1/3 c Evaporated Milk (Or heavy cream)

Instructions

Sauté your onions in butter until translucent.
Add in garlic and cook for another minute or so, until fragrant.
Add dried basil, oregano, thyme, and red chili flakes and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute.
Add in your canned tomatoes, veggie broth, water, and salt, and let the mixture simmer for about 30 minutes on a low heat.
Blend the mixture together with an immersion blender, and then add in your cream, mix well, and serve.

Notes

This is also optional, but I love to garnish my creamy tomato basil soup with some extra cream. For aesthetic (and flavor) reasons, I like to mix the heavy cream or evaporated milk with a little bit of sour cream to thicken it up. This is so when I pour the cream over the soup, it will float on top and look stunning right before serving! You can also add some extra basil for garnish too.