Tomato and Basil Soup (Print Version)

Silky tomato soup with fresh basil and olive oil. Italian comfort in just 40 minutes—vegetarian and gluten-free.

# 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 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
09 - 1 teaspoon sugar, optional for balancing acidity

→ Garnish

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

# Step-by-Step:

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

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours simmering it, but you'll have it ready in less time than it takes to watch a show.
  • That first spoonful is pure comfort—silky, aromatic, and bright enough to lift any grey day.
  • You probably have most of these ingredients already, and the ones you don't are worth keeping around anyway.
02 -
  • Don't blend too early—if you blend before the tomatoes have fully broken down and the flavors have had time to meld, you'll end up with something that tastes raw and one-dimensional instead of round and complete.
  • If your soup ends up too thick, don't panic; warm vegetable stock added gradually is your friend, and you can always make it thinner than you want it thicker.
03 -
  • Use an immersion blender instead of transferring to a regular blender; it's faster, creates less mess, and somehow the soup tastes fractionally better when you don't disrupt the pot.
  • The moment you buy your tomatoes is the moment they start losing flavor, so use them the day you get them if you possibly can—tomatoes are time-sensitive in ways most vegetables aren't.
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