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Rich, hearty, and delicious this Creamy Tomato Basil Soup is the ideal way to warm you from the inside out on the chilliest of fall and winter days. You can achieve scratch homemade flavor without spending hours in the kitchen with this simple recipe that the whole family will love. Serve with crackers, croutons, breadsticks, or even the traditional and always popular grilled cheese. Or if you’re like me keep it low carb and gluten free and try some cheese crisps, or flax crackers. Yum!
This creamy tomato basil soup is all about simple steps done well. Start by softening the onions until they are sweet, then add garlic just until fragrant. I like good canned tomatoes for consistency. San Marzano or fire roasted taste great here. Let everything simmer so the flavors relax together. If the tomatoes taste a little sharp, a small pat of butter or a tiny pinch of sugar will smooth the edges. Blend until velvety, then stir in the cream and fresh basil so the color stays pretty and the flavor pops. Season to taste and you are done.
Ingredients
Method
- Roughly chop celery and onion then place in food processor or chopper and puree fine.
- Place 2 Tbsp. of butter in a large pot over medium heat with pureed onion and celery- saute until they begin to become translucent.
- Add chicken broth, tomato puree, basil leaves, remaining butter, garlic, and pepper- cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Reduce heat to low and whisk in cream cheese until dissolved, simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
- At this point you can leave it as is and it will have some texture from the onions and celery, or you can use an immersion hand blender in the pot to make it completely smooth
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, or fresh chopped basil on top.
Leftovers keep beautifully. Store in the fridge for up to three days and reheat gently, thinning with a splash of broth if it gets too thick. This also freezes well in single-serve containers. For dairy free, swap the cream for coconut milk or cashew cream. Add a handful of cooked pasta or tortellini for a cozy dinner, or serve with grilled cheese dippers for the classic combo. I sometimes use leftover soup as a quick pasta sauce the next day with a little extra basil on top.
This is a fabulous recipe to make on cool fall evenings! It doesn’t take long to make, and I don’t know about your family, but in mine tomato soup is like the ultimate comfort food!
Looking for more soup recipes? Check out this Slow Cooker Beef and Quinoa Soup Recipe. It’s the perfect soup for cool fall days, or cold winter evenings!
Or give this Low Carb Chicken Noodle Soup a try! Yum!
