TOMATO BASIL SOUP RECIPE VIDEO
Carrots, Celery, Onions Garlic: These veggies are finely chopped in the food processor to create a Mirepoix (pronounced “meer-pwah”). Mirepoix is a fancy French term for the combination of diced carrots, onions and celery sautéed in butter/olive oil – mmmm. Every chef will tell you that every great soup or stew should begin with a mirepoix – and I heartily agree. The dimension of flavor from the vegetables adds a richness to the Tomato Basil Soup that can’t be achieved any other way. butter: use unsalted butter so you can control the salt level. I love the added butter flavor but you can substitute with olive oil for an even healthier soup. olive oil: use extra virgin olive oil for more flavor. You can substitute with your preferred cooking oil if you wish. flour: you can substitute gluten-free flour to make gluten free Tomato Basil Soup. chicken broth: use low sodium chicken broth so you can control the salt level. You can substitute vegetable broth for vegetarian Tomato Basil Soup, otherwise, I recommend chicken broth because it has more flavor. fire roasted diced tomatoes: can be found in the canned section next to traditional diced tomatoes. Some people think “fire roasted” means they are spicy – this is not the case. Fire roasted simply means roasted to enhance the flavor. basil: you can use either 1 tablespoon dried basil or ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped. oregano: you can use 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano. seasonings: you can adjust to taste, but this is my favorite combination. milk, half and half or heavy cream: you can use whichever dairy product you prefer depending on what you have on hand and if you are trying to save calories. Keep in mind that the higher the fat content, the creamier the soup. So, for the creamiest soup, use heavy cream. Parmesan cheese: use only FRESHLY grated Parmesan cheese so it will melt easily. Pre-shredded cheeses are coated in anti-clumping chemicals which also prevents them from melting easily.
Step 1- Chop Veggies: First, mince the vegetables in a food processor so you don’t have to spend any time/effort chopping. The generous amount of carrots and celery add an untraceable sweetness which balance the acidity of the tomatoes and when combined with the onions and garlic infuse this Tomato soup with irresistible multi-dimensional rich flavors. Step 2 – Saute Veggies: Next, saute the minced vegetables for a few minutes to soften then sprinkle in flour and cook for another minute to get rid of the raw flour smell. The mixture will be thick, which is okay. We are essentially creating a roux with vegetables which will thicken our Tomato Basil Soup. Step 3 – Add Broth: Whisk in chicken broth, fire roasted tomatoes and our dynamic cast of basil, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper and a bay leaf. Step 4 – Simmer: Simmer for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender. This not only tenderizes the veggies but melds all the flavors together. Step 5 – Get Creamy: Whisk in our generous amount of Parmesan and either milk, half and half or heavy cream. It is entirely up to you which of these three you want to use just remember that the higher the fat content, the creamier the soup. Step 6 – Simmer Again: Finally, simmer the Parmesan Tomato Basil Soup for an additional 15-20 minutes for the flavors to develop more fully into robust deliciousness. Step 7: Puree Soup: At this point you can devour the soup as is if you want texture OR you can proceed to puree with an immersion blender or your blender.
How to make extra Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
The best part of Tomato Basil Soup is its luscious, velvety creaminess. To achieve the CREAMIEST tomato soup, I HIGHLY recommend using your blender over an immersion blender. I find an immersion blender can’t blend everything, so you’re left with bits and pieces here and there. I use a blender in my Cauliflower Soup recipe, Broccoli Soup Recipe, Sweet Potato Soup and Curried Butternut Squash Soup recipes and the texture can’t be beat! If you’re using your blender, just take care to let smoke escape or it will explode. I do this by leaving a corner of the blender lid open and covering the opening with a paper towel. No casualties yet!
How to thicken Homemade Tomato Basil Soup
This Tomato Basil Soup should already be thick and creamy due to the flour, half and half/heavy cream and Parmesan, but if you would still like a thicker soup you can use any of these methods:
Cornstarch: Remove some of the pureed soup and whisk in 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch with a fork until smooth then whisk it back into the soup. Simmer for 5 minutes or so until thickened. Flour and butter: Mix equal parts flour and softened butter together with a fork so it becomes a thick paste and almost forms a ball. You will want 2-4 tablespoons each, depending on how thick you want the soup. Add it to the soup stir, and simmer for 5 minutes or so until thickened.
NO CREAM TOMATO SOUP
Maybe it is January 1st ,and we are starting the year off with a weight loss goal or you plum ran out of cream, no worries! You can still enjoy a bowl of fabulous Tomato Basil Soup to warm you! You can substitute the cream for milk, almond milk, coconut milk or even chicken broth. The tomato soup won’t be quite as creamy but it will still boast all the tantalizing flavors. If you go this route, then you might want to whisk in 2 tablespoons cornstarch to whatever liquid you substitute the cream with to add more body to the soup.
NO DAIRY TOMATO SOUP
You can omit the dairy completely in this Tomato Basil Soup and substitute with coconut, almond or cashew milk. I have heard great things about coconut milk in this recipe although I cannot personally vouch for the variation. As mentioned above, I would whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch to whatever liquid you substitute the cream with to add more body to the soup. Once you omit the Parmesan, you are losing some of the nutty, saltiness, so you may need to add additional salt to taste.
GLUTEN FREE TOMATO SOUP
This Tomato Basil Soup is very simple to make gluten free! Simply replace the flour with gluten free flour or whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch into part of the chicken broth until smooth to create a slurry. The general rule of thumb is you need half the amount of cornstarch as flour.
VEGAN TOMATO SOUP
To make Vegan Tomato Basil Soup, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, omit the Parmesan and replace the milk/heavy cream with coconut, almond or cashew milk. Again, I would whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch to whatever liquid you substitute the cream with to add more body to the soup.
ROASTED TOMATO SOUP
If you have more time, you can roast your own tomatoes and garlic for ROASTED Tomato Basil soup!
Roasted tomatoes: Roasting the tomatoes helps them to sweeten and slightly caramelize which, in turn, leads to a sweet, rich soup flavor. You can use either Roma or plum tomatoes. I recommend using garden fresh or organic to keep the soup as flavorful as possible! Roasted garlic: Roasted Garlic is never a bad idea and it is easy to do right alongside the tomatoes. You can also buy roasted garlic if needed. Caramelized onions: Have you tried my French Onion Soup? Well caramelizing onions is a brainchild from that. The sweet onions are caramelized, and then blended into the soup. AMAZING!
To make Roasted Tomato Basil Soup:
crusty bread or garlic bread grilled cheese or Cheesy Pesto Pull Apart Bread green salad, Wedge Salad, Cobb Salad or Tomato Cucumber Salad Perfect Fruit Salad or Winter Fruit Salad Italian Pasta Salad or Creamy Bacon, Pea Pasta Salad Lemon Basil Chicken Avocado, Caprese Chicken Wraps or Caprese Chicken Salad
Tomato Basil Garnishing suggestions
Dab of your favorite pesto sauce Sun-dried tomatoes Parmesan cheese Sour cream Fresh basil Bread croutons Crackers
CAN YOU FREEZE TOMATO BASIL SOUP?
YES! Many soups with dairy do not freeze well but this Tomato Basil Soup freezes great because it is all pureed together. Tag @CarlsbadCravings and Use #CarlsbadCravngs Leave a Review, I Always Love Hearing From You!
