You’ll never again open a can of tomato soup loaded with sodium and sugars, after trying this smoky Roasted Tomato Basil Soup.  

Whether I fire-roast my own tomatoes or go with a combination of fresh tomatoes and canned organic fire roasted tomatoes, this tomato soup is my go-to soup recipe for summer, fall and winter. My kids request it time and again, and it’s so easy to pull together with a few pantry items.

While the soup is cooking, I make the grilled cheese sandwiches, and everything comes together at once. If you are not using in season ripe Roma or tomato on the vine, then I highly recommend using canned San Marzano; they’re whole tomatoes in their own liquid, don’t have that metallic taste many canned tomatoes do, and are bright when cooked, I really love the Muir Glen, Organic Whole Fire Roasted San Marzano Style. 

Another crucial ingredient is fresh basil, I harvest my summer basil, clean, and add oil to coat the leaves and store it in a Ziploc bag, then add it straight from the freezer to soups and pasta sauces.

This soup has no cream, I puree the soup in a high-speed blender to get that creamy luxuriousness that comes from adding heavy cream.  

This soup is gluten-free, dairy-free,  vegan and vegetarian Whole 30 compliant if you skip the small amount of sugar added. No additives, preservatives or artificial colors/flavors, and homemade soup done in less than 30 minutes!

Watch me make it here!

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced.
• 7-8 large tomatoes, Roma (or 2 cans fire roasted diced San Marzano tomatoes)
• 1 cup vegetable broth or water
• 1 tablespoon of garlic paste or 5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced.
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves.
• 1- teaspoon sugar, optional (to even out the tartness of tomatoes)
• ¼ teaspoon oregano (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Method:

1. In a heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, then add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
   
   
2. Meanwhile, roast tomatoes over an open gas fire on a wire rack or blister them under the broiler set on high/ or add San Marzano peeled tomatoes with the juice, vegetable stock, and sugar. 
   
   
3. Cook uncovered, for 15 minutes or until tomatoes break down (or you can cook on high pressure for 10 minutes in the Instant Pot – NPR after 10 mins).
   
   
4. Add the basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and simmer for a few minutes.
   
   
5. Carefully transfer soup to a high-speed blender and puree soup until there are no large chunks left and as you whip air into soup it turns from a deep red to a creamy orangey shade.
   
   
6. Serve with melty mozzarella cheese sandwiches.
   
   
7. Suggested garnishes: parmesan cheese, shredded cheese, buttery croutons, basil chiffonade, or crackers.

Notes

Canned Tomatoes: If you want to skip roasting your own tomatoes, then substitute in 2- cans of fire roasted tomatoes with basil. I love the Muir Glen, Organic Whole Fire Roasted San Marzano Style.