Tomato basil soup is so fresh and tasty. It is made with fresh, ripe Roma tomatoes, sweet yellow onions, roasted garlic cloves, and fiery roasted red peppers. The tomatoes are roasted in the oven to enhance their sweetness and then blended with the other fresh ingredients. This soup is amazing when topped with fresh baked Homemade Croutons and freshly shredded cheddar cheese.
The freshest ingredients
Roma tomatoes are the best choice for soup because they are meaty, have lower water content, and contain fewer seeds than other varieties. They are also very easy to peel after being roasted in the oven.
Yellow onions are a sweeter variety of onion that blends beautifully with tomatoes.
When roasted, garlic caramelizes, developing a sweeter and milder taste than as its raw flavor. Garlic is a necessary component to a well-rounded tomato soup.
As for the roasted red peppers, I generally use roasted red peppers that have been home pressure canned. Another option is to roast the peppers on the sheet pan with the tomatoes and garlic cloves.
The basil in tomato basil soup can be either fresh or dried. Dried basil seems to work better as far as blending smoothly into the soup. If you have a basil plant, it is easy to dry the leaves and crush into dried basil. I place the basil leaves on a paper plate on the counter for a few days, allowing the water inside the leaves to evaporate, making them easier to crush.
Roma tomatoes, onions, garlic, and bell peppers are also easy to grow here in Wisconsin. They love consistent watering and sunshine, so location of planting is important. More information about gardening Roma tomatoes can be found here: How to Grow and Care for Roma Tomatoes.
Interested in other creamy homemade soup recipes?
Print Recipe
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Equipment
- sheet pan
- 6 Quart stock pot
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 5 Lbs Fresh Roma tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 cup Diced yellow onions
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 2 cups Chicken broth
- 1/2 jar Roasted red peppers
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Fresh ground pepper
- 1 tbsp Basil (dried)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Place the sliced tomatoes and garlic cloves on the sheet pan and toss in a light coating of olive oil.
- Roast tomatoes for 30 to 45 minutes. Tomatoes are ready when the skins begin to blacken and pull away from the tomato flesh.
- While tomatoes are in the oven, heat butter in the stock pot over medium heat.
- Add diced onions and sauté until soft.
- Pour chicken broth into the stockpot and season with salt, pepper, and basil. Add the roasted red peppers.
- Remove tomatoes from the oven and allow to rest at room temperature for a few minutes. Using a tongs, peel the skins from the tomatoes and discard.
- Add the tomatoes to the stockpot and stir.
- Using the immersion blender, puree the sauteed onions, roasted tomatoes, garlic, and roasted red peppers.
- Allow the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Serve with fresh baked croutons and shredded cheddar cheese.
