Easy Creamy Tomato Soup With Basil

The best homemade creamy tomato soup recipe features garden-fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, chicken stock, and then garnished with fresh basil and a drizzle of heavy cream. 

This late summer comfort food is a great recipe to use up the extra tomatoes that you will find at the local farmers' market. Your favorite grilled cheese is perfect for dunking in this creamy soup. This is the first homemade tomato soup recipe I made when I first was married. My husband loved it so much because it was an oven-roasted twist on the classic tomato soup that his mom would make.

🍅 Roasted tomato soup ingredients:

• fresh tomatoes - any red tomatoes will do but I love fresh Roma tomatoes in this recipe
• garlic cloves - peeled and crushed. Another option would to use a few cloves of garlic confit, but don't add the confit garlic to the sheet pan, it is already roasted, just add it when you add the roasted tomatoes and onions to the pot.
• yellow onions - sliced. They bring a lovely sweetness to the soup when roasted.
• extra-virgin olive oil - used for roasting the tomatoes, garlic and onions.
• salt and pepper
• chicken broth - I try and use homemade but will use a box of stock in a pinch. Vegetable stock can easily be substituted.
• bay leaves - fresh if you have them, but I usually use dried bay leaves
• butter - unsalted
• fresh basil leaves
• heavy cream, optional but highly encouraged

Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

🥣 How to make this easy soup recipe

1. Oven roast tomatoes, onions, and garlic. (see instructions below)
2. Pour your tomato puree in a large pot or dutch oven and add your bay leaves, butter, and stock.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and reduce the pureed soup by 25% while maintaining a gentle simmer. The soup will get thicker and more concentrated in flavor. If you would like it thicker just reduce it more.
4. Remove the bay leaves.
5. For a smoother soup, use an immersion blender, stick blender or food processor to further puree the soup for a silky texture.
6. Reduce the pot to medium-low heat and stir in your cream and basil.   

🔥 Roasting tomatoes instructions

1. Wash and core your tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in half from side to side and remove the seeds.
2. Roughly chop your onions. Try and keep them about the same size so they all cook at the same time.
3. Place tomatoes on one half of the sheet pan cut side up.
4. Spread your onions and garlic out in a single layer on your sheet pan/cookie sheet.
5. Drizzle with olive oil.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Roast in a 450* oven for 40 minutes.

🥫 Canning Instructions:

For using the water bath canning technique for canning this soup, leave out the butter and cream when making this recipe. Also, be sure to use vegetable stock in place of chicken broth when canning soup. These two ingredients can be added when you serve the tomato soup.

1. Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes.
2. Pour the hot tomato soup into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within ¼ inch of the top.
3. Remove any air bubbles.
4. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any soup.
5. Place on lids, and screw on rings.
6. Place in a water bath canner and make sure to bring the water level to at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars.
7. Bring the water to a rolling boil and process for 20 to 30 minutes.
8. Remove the jars from the stockpot and place them onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool.
9. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). 
10. Store in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

🌱 Garnishes for tomato soup:

This is my favorite tomato soup and I love how all the roasted vegetable flavors come together. Here are some suggestions on what to serve as a garnish to this delicious soup.

• additional basil
• shredded parmesan cheese
• garlic croutons
• goldfish crackers
• grilled cheese bites
• saltine crackers
• roasted corn salsa
• chopped, crisp bacon
• crab meat

🗒️ Frequently asked questions and tips:

🍲 More Soup Recipes

• Lasagna Soup - This comforting soup is ready in 30 minutes and has all the classic lasagna flavors you love without turning on the oven.
• Autumn squash soup recipe (Panera copycat) - delicious, creamy, and full of fall flavors.
• Corn chowder recipe - comes together fast enough for a busy school night but tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.
• Creamy tomato soup recipe - garden-fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, chicken stock, and then garnished with fresh basil and a drizzle of heavy cream. 

The Best Oven Roasted Tomato Soup

Sarah Mock

If you ever wanted to learn to make homemade tomato soup you need to make my recipe for homemade oven roasted tomato soup. This has been called the best roasted tomato soup. This easy tomato soup recipe features garden fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, chicken stock and then garnished with fresh basil and a drizzle of heavy cream.

5 from 25 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Additional Time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr 25 mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark, toggle to button to the right to turn GREEN

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 434 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2½ pounds fresh tomatoes
• 6 cloves garlic peeled
• 2 small yellow onions sliced
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves optional
• ¾ cup heavy cream optional

Instructions

 

• Wash and core the tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in half from side to side and remove the seeds.
• Roughly chop your onions. Try and keep them about the same size so they all cook at the same speed.
• Place tomatoes on one half of the sheet pan cut side up.
• Spread your onions and garlic out in a single layer on your sheet pan/cookie sheet.
• Drizzle with olive oil.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast in a 450* oven for 40 minutes.

Pureeing the tomato soup

• Scrape all the oven roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic and olive oil into the food processor.
• Puree the mixture until it is of a chunky consistency.
• If you are making a single batch they all should fit in one food processor.
• If doing a double batch, puree in batches.
• Put your tomato/onion pure in a largish stock pot and add your bay leaves, butter and stock.
• Bring to a boil and reduce by 25%. The soup will get thicker and more concentrated in flavor. If you would like it thicker just reduce it more.
• Remove the bay leaves.
• For a smoother soup, use an immersion blender to further puree the soup for a silky texture.
• Lower the heat and stir in your cream and basil. The picture below is without cream and basil. My husband does not appreciate the basil and I can do without the cream. Personally, I LOVE it with both. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Notes

How do you garnish roasted tomato soup? This is my favorite tomato soup and I love how all the roasted vegetable flavors come together. Here are some suggestion on what to serve as a garnish to this delicious soup. * additional basil * shredded parmesan cheese * garlic croutons * goldfish crackers * grilled cheese bites * saltine crackers * roasted corn salsa * chopped, crisp bacon * crab meat

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 434kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 7gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 358mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

This post originally appeared August 6, 2009. Photos have been updated.