Tomato Basil Soup
Quick answer
- Total time
- 40 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
Tomato basil soup sautés onion and garlic in olive oil, adds canned whole tomatoes crushed by hand, simmers with vegetable stock for 15 minutes, then blends until smooth and finishes with cream and fresh basil.
Read more
Crushing and cooking the tomatoes for the first five minutes before adding stock concentrates their natural sugars and reduces raw acidity, building a sweeter, deeper base. The 15-minute simmer lets the flavors merge without overcooking, and blending produces a velvety texture that cream enhances without masking the tomato. Basil is heat-sensitive - its volatile oils dissipate within minutes of cooking - so it goes in only after the heat is off, releasing its fragrance through residual warmth alone. A tablespoon of tomato paste can be stirred in during the sauté stage for a more intense tomato flavor if desired.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Finely chop 120 g onion and mince 2 garlic cloves before heating the pot.
Open 800 g canned whole tomatoes and keep the juices, since the liquid becomes part of the soup base.
- 2Control
Warm 2 tbsp olive oil in a pot over medium low heat.
Add the onion and garlic, stirring often until the onion turns translucent and the garlic smells mellow, without letting either brown.
- 3Control
Add the tomatoes with their juices and press large pieces with a spatula.
Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly and the raw sharpness softens.
- 4Control
Pour in 300 ml vegetable stock and scrape the bottom to loosen any tomato stuck to the pot.
Simmer gently over medium heat for 15 minutes so the acidity rounds out.
- 5Control
Lower the heat and blend carefully with a hand blender until smooth, keeping the head submerged to prevent splashing.
Stir in 80 ml heavy cream and simmer only 3 minutes to keep the color bright.
- 6Finish
Turn off the heat and add 12 g fresh basil so the residual warmth releases its aroma.
Check the seasoning and thickness, then serve hot while the soup is creamy and fragrant.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Tomatoes fried five minutes concentrate sweetness; basil added off-heat preserves its volatile aroma.
- Finish cue
- Add the onion and garlic, stirring often until the onion turns translucent and the garlic smells mellow, without letting either brown.
- Avoid this
- The 15-minute simmer lets the flavors merge without overcooking, and blending produces a velvety texture that cream enhances without masking the tomato.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
40min, 7 ingredients
Category median
45min, 8 ingredients
Based on 310 recipes
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