Tomato and Basil Soup (Printable)

A silky tomato soup with aromatic basil, finished with olive oil. Ready in 40 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 3.3 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped
02 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

04 - 3 cups vegetable stock
05 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

→ Herbs & Seasoning

06 - 1 small bunch fresh basil leaves, picked
07 - 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
08 - 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
09 - 1 teaspoon sugar, optional for balancing acidity

→ Garnish

10 - Extra basil leaves
11 - Additional olive oil for drizzling

# Cooking Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
02 - Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent browning.
03 - Stir in chopped tomatoes and cook 10 minutes until they break down and release their natural juices.
04 - Add vegetable stock, salt, pepper, and sugar if using. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
05 - Add basil leaves, reserving a few for garnish. Using an immersion blender, blend until soup reaches smooth and silky consistency. Alternatively, blend in batches using a standard blender.
06 - Taste soup and adjust salt, pepper, and sugar as needed to achieve desired balance.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and serve hot, garnished with reserved basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen when you've really only invested forty minutes.
  • The basil hits differently when you add it at the end, becoming almost perfumy instead of bitter.
  • This soup has saved me on nights when I had nothing in the fridge but tomatoes and the will to eat something warm.
02 -
  • Immersion blenders beat regular blenders for this because they're faster and you don't have to wait for the soup to cool—but if you only have a regular blender, work in two batches and be careful of the heat.
  • The sugar isn't about sweetness; it's about mellowing out the brightness of acidic tomatoes, and you'll know it worked when the acidity stops attacking your palate.
03 -
  • Don't blend until everything has cooled slightly or the basil will oxidize and turn army-green instead of staying vivid.
  • The best olive oil you can afford should go on top, not into the pot—it's your final signature, so make it count.
Go Back