Creamy Tomato Basil Soup (Printable)
Velvety tomato blend enriched with fresh basil and crisp garlic croutons for balanced flavor and texture.
# What You'll Need:
→ For the Soup
01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 28 oz canned whole tomatoes or ripe fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
05 - 2 cups vegetable broth
06 - 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
07 - 1 celery stalk, diced
08 - 1 teaspoon sugar
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
12 - 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
→ For the Garlic Croutons
13 - 3 cups day-old baguette or rustic bread, cubed (approximately 120 g)
14 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
15 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
16 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
# How To Make It:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
02 - Add garlic, carrot, and celery; sauté for 3 minutes until fragrant.
03 - Stir in tomatoes with juices, vegetable broth, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
04 - Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with olive oil, minced garlic, and salt until evenly coated. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 10–12 minutes, turning halfway, until golden and crisp.
05 - Remove soup from heat. Add basil leaves. Using an immersion blender or countertop blender in batches, purée until smooth and creamy.
06 - Stir in heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper if needed.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls. Top each serving with garlic croutons and garnish with fresh basil leaves if desired.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The way cream mellows out the acidic tomatoes makes this feel like a restaurant bowl without the restaurant price tag
- Those homemade croutons transform from stale bread into golden crunchy flavor bombs that you will want to snack on straight off the baking sheet
02 -
- Immersion blenders can splash hot soup everywhere if you lift them out of the liquid while still running, so either turn it off first or tilt the pot away from you
- Adding the cream at the end instead of simmering it prevents that weird curdled look that happens when dairy and acid get too friendly over high heat
03 -
- Taste your tomatoes before starting and adjust the sugar accordingly because some brands are noticeably more acidic than others
- The soup actually tastes better the next day once all those flavors have had time to become best friends with each other