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Easy Tomato & Basil Soup

Easy tomato & basil soup is a great fresh tasting soup. Using the sweetest fresh tomatoes and flavoured with just a hint of onion, garlic and basil. This tomato and basil soup recipe is a favourite in our house.

A bowl of fresh tomato & basil soup served with crusty toasted bread, topped with basil leaves and a wooden handle spoon inside the rustic bowl and fresh tomatoes to the back.

One of my favourite food pairings is tomato and basil. Tomatoes are a food that I love to eat in pretty much any shape and form. This homemade tomato and basil soup is simple to make, cooks quickly and is full of fresh tasting flavours.

This healthy tomato and basil soup is great for anyone with a greenhouse and grows their own tomatoes. As anyone who grows their own fruit and vegetables will know there are always times when you have an abundance of produce.

With just a few simple ingredients added to the tomatoes you have a delicious soup with a lovely light freshness.

Why you will like this recipe

  • A tasty bowl of soup using the freshest of ingredients.
  • Get ahead and make the soup earlier in the day or the day before and warm up when you are ready to eat.
  • Use a gluten free vegetable stock and this soup is suitable for coeliacs or anyone following a gluten free diet.
  • Containing no dairy this soup is ideal for dairy free and vegan diners.

Recipe ingredients

  • Tomatoes – use the best quality fresh tomatoes you can find. I like to use large vine tomatoes as they have the best flavour. If you grow you own tomatoes this is a great recipe for you to use up a glut of tomatoes.
  • Oil – I use olive oil as it has the best flavour to work with the tomatoes in this soup.
  • Vegetables – I use both fresh onion and garlic in this soup.
  • Tomato Passata – I also like to add tomato passata to tomato and basil soup as it really intensifies the tomato flavour, rather than just using stock.
  • Stock – I use vegetable stock, but if not serving to vegetarian or vegan diners, you can also use a light chicken stock.
  • Basil – I only use fresh basil in this soup as dried basil will not give you the same fresh flavour.
  • Sugar – a teaspoon of caster sugar balances out the acidity of the tomatoes.
  • Seasoning – I keep the seasoning simple with just a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

How to prepare and peel tomatoes?

Peeling tomatoes for this homemade tomato and basil soup is a fairly quick and simple job. However, it is really important to get the most of our the tomatoes.

A selection of fresh red and yellow tomatoes with the bottoms sliced slightly to prepare for skinning.
  • Cut a cross at the base of your tomatoes with a sharp knife and cover with boiling water.
  • Allow the tomatoes to sit for 10 to 15 minutes in the hot water.
Fresh tomatoes skins blanched and being removed.
  • After 10 minutes or so, drain the water off the tomatoes and gently pull the skin off the tomatoes, it should slip off really easily.
  • Once peeled discard the outer skin of the tomato, placing it into a sieve for later. Then simply cut the fruit into quarters.
  • You then cut away the seeds and core to leave the outer flesh of the tomato.

TOP TIP: Do not throw away the seeds and core as they are full of deliciously tomato flavoured juices. Instead pop the seeds and core into the sieve, along with the tomato skins, and place the sieve over a bowl.

How to make tomato and basil soup

Fresh tomatoes being sieved through a fine strainer to collect the fresh juice.
  • Once the tomatoes have been peeled, remove the core and seeds and place them in a sieve place over a bowl.
  • Using a metal spoon, push the seeds and pulp to extract as much of the tomato juice as possible.
  • There is a lot of juice to extract from the seeds and core and you don’t want to waste a drop!
Fresh chopped tomatoes.
  • Take the tomato flesh and roughly chop it up into smaller 1cm pieces and set aside for later.
Diced onions and garlic sweating off in a bit of oil in a hot fry pan.
  • Saute the chopped onion over a medium heat for 5 minutes to soften, but not colour the onion.
  • Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
A hand adding fresh tomato juice to a pan with simmering onions and garlic.
  • Now add the tomato passata and sieved tomato juice to the onions.
Adding the chopped pulp of tomatoes to the pan after adding the tomato juice.
  • Along with the chopped up tomato flesh.
A hand pouring vegetable stock to a pan of simmering onions and tomato juice.
  • Now add the vegetable stock, sugar and season well with salt and pepper.
  • Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes.
Fresh chopped basil.
  • Finally add the basil, check the seasoning and serve.

Flavour variations

  • Add chilli heat, a couple of fresh de-seeded red chillies could be added along with the garlic. This will add a nice chilli heat to the soup, whilst still keeping it’s fresh flavours.
  • Use the basic tomato soup as a base for adding in other vegetables and flavours. You could add other vegetables, like courgettes and peppers to increase your 5-a-day. Simply add them at the same time as the onion (recipe step 4) to soften before adding in the remaining ingredients.
  • You can also add alternative flavour with herbs, try adding thyme or parsley in place of the fresh basil.

Serving suggestion

Soup makes a great lunch or light dinner option. I like to serve tomato and basil soup with some crusty bread, toasted bread or crunchy garlic bread.

Recipe hints & tips

  • Check the soup for seasoning and, if necessary, adjust with salt and pepper. Proper seasoning will make all the difference to the finished soup.
  • If you would prefer a completely smooth soup, once cooked, blitz with a stick blender to achieve a silky consistency.
  • Containing no meat or dairy products, this soup is suitable for dairy free and vegan diners.
  • For a gluten free soup, use a gluten free vegetable broth.
  • Allergy advice: gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

FAQs

Can you freeze tomato and basil soup?

This soup is really easy to freeze. Simply cook the soup as per the recipe card. Allow it to cool completely, before placing in containers suitable for the freezer. When ready to eat remove the tub of tomato and basil soup from the freezer and defrost thoroughly. Heat up and serve when you are ready to enjoy.

Is tomato and basil soup healthy?

Yes, this healthy tomato and basil soup is a broth based soup, containing no added cream. Tomatoes are a healthy fruit packed full of antioxidants, as well as vitamins C & E.

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Additional recipe suggestions

If you like this recipe then try some of our other vegetable based soups!

For some great hints and tips on how to make a great bowl of soup, have a read of our 20 Simple Soup Recipes post. This features some delicious soup recipes for you to try!

A bowl of fresh tomato & basil soup served with crusty toasted bread, topped with basil leaves and a wooden handle spoon inside the rustic bowl and fresh tomatoes to the back.

Tomato & Basil Soup

Tomato & basil soup is a great fresh tasting soup. Using the sweetest fresh tomatoes and flavoured with just a hint of onion, garlic and basil.
5 from 12 votes
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Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 108kcal

Ingredients

  • 800 g tomatoes (peeled and de-seeded)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion (finely diced)
  • 3 cloves of garlic (crushed)
  • 500 g tomato passata
  • 400 ml vegetable stock
  • large handful of fresh basil (shredded)
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • salt & pepper

Instructions

  • Peel and de-seed the tomatoes, discard the tomato skin.
  • Chop up the tomatoes placing the flesh onto a chopping board. Cut the flesh into small 1cm chunks.
  • Place the seeds and core of the tomatoes into a fine sieve and place the sieve over a bowl. Using a spoon, press the tomato seeds and core to extract as much juice from the tomatoes as possible. Set the juice aside for later and discard the seeds.
  • In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the onion to the pan and cook gently for 5 minutes, taking care to cook, but not colour the onion. Add the crushed garlic to the pan and cook for a further minute.
  • Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato juice, tomato passata, vegetable stock and sugar to the pan and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes.
  • Season the soup with salt and pepper and check for taste. Now add the shredded basil to the soup, stir through and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Tomato & Basil Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 108 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 384mg17%
Potassium 593mg17%
Carbohydrates 15g5%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 1432IU29%
Vitamin C 28mg34%
Calcium 49mg5%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •

Course : Canape, Starter, Side, Lunch, Soup
Cuisine : Italian
Keyword : Simple, vegan, vegetarian
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Recipe Rating




Jonelle

Wednesday 10th of August 2022

Can this Recipe be canned?

Lesley

Wednesday 10th of August 2022

Thanks for getting in touch Jonelle. I have never tried canning fresh soup, so really would not like to comment on how successful this might be. However, the soup does freeze really well if that helps.

Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie

Monday 14th of September 2020

A classic for a reason - that tomato and basil combo never fails. I sometimes like to add cannellini beans to my tomato and basil soup for extra interest and protein :-D Eb x

Lesley

Monday 14th of September 2020

I love that idea Eb, I'm a great fan of adding pulses to soup to make it more of a meal. Lesley x

Chloe Edges

Sunday 13th of September 2020

Sounds delish and I love that you kept it chunky. Despite my aversion to tomato sauces in general, I do actually really like a good tomato soup!

Lesley

Monday 14th of September 2020

Thank you Chloe, I do like texture to my soups and I want to taste the fresh tomatoes. I agree - I love a good tomato soup. Lesley

Cat | Curly's Cooking

Sunday 13th of September 2020

Tomato and basil soup is something I haven't quite mastered yet so I will definitely be making this! I don't buy soup so all soup is homemade and I like to have a supply in the freezer. This looks perfect. x

Lesley

Monday 14th of September 2020

Thank you Cat, we're the same, soup is always homemade and my freezer is always packed so I'm never without. Lesley x

Joanna

Friday 11th of September 2020

This looks such a warming and flavourful soup. I love the look of the heritage tomatoes that you are using - I bet they taste delicious!

Lesley

Monday 14th of September 2020

Thank you Joanna, I have to say it's a lovely bowl of soup and the heritage tomatoes are perfection. I order a large box for delivery every fortnight over the Summer months as my family all love eating tomatoes. Lesley