Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Now that fall is making its way into my life and the weather is cooling down, I am totally happy and content to make soup :)  Soup is wonderful… particularly this soup.

Fact about my husband: He hates tomatoes.  Why?  I will never know.  I used to as a kid, but my adult tastebuds have shown me the light and how wonderful this veggie can be!

2nd Fact about my husband:  He tried this soup and LOVED it.  That is no exaggeration.  He said it tasted like something fancy he would order from a fancy Italian restaurant.  The tomatoes didn’t even bother him.

So there you have it, even my tomato-hating husband loved this soup.  Which means, all you tomato haters out there just might too!

This soup is definitely in my top 3 favorites.


4.3 from 3 reviews
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
 
Perfect for the cooler days! It is one of my absolute favorite soups!
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
  • ½ cup butter
  • 2 heaping Tbsp. minced garlic
  • ½ cup flour
  • 3 cups half and half
  • 2½ Tbsp. chicken base*
  • 2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup tomato puree
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 2½ Tbsp. dried basil, about ½ cup fresh basil leaves and chop
  • ½ tsp. pepper, more if needed TT
  • ½ tsp. salt, more if needed TT
  • milk if needed to thin to desired consistency
Instructions
  1. Melt butter in saucepan. Once melted add garlic and sauté for a minute or two. Stir in flour and make a roux.
  2. Once roux is formed, slowly pour in half and half, stirring as you pour. Stir consistently until it begins to thicken.
  3. Stir in chicken base, diced tomatos, tomato puree, sugar, basil, pepper and salt. Stir until heated through. If needed add milk to soup to thin it out to desired consistency

Enjoy!

* Chicken Base is like a paste version of chicken broth/buillion. It is more concentrated that broth. Here is the kind/brand I use.  You can easily find either this or other brands at your grocery store.

 

If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #chefintraining and/or #chefintrainingblog. I would love to see how these recipes take shape in your kitchens.

Filed under: dinner, soup

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Comments

  1. Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel

    My mouth is totally watering! Tomato soup is one of my weaknesses and is a total comfort food for me, no matter the season! Love that this is so rich and deep in flavor, yet so easy to make (who knew?) Totally whipping a double batch of this up when the weather cools.

  2. betty

    That looks yummy! I'm saving it......must try :) Thanks for recipe. ~betty

  3. Karen Petersen

    I love tomato soups sooooooo much! Here is my most popular recipe...the tomato basil parmesan soup. I bet your husband would like this one too: http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/2009/03/day-56-tomato-basil-parmesan-soup.html

    I'll have to try your version!! thanks!

  4. Averie @ Averie Cooks

    When I was pregnant, the only things I wanted to eat were white carbs like Saltine crackers...and Tomato Basil Soup from the Nordstrom Cafe (a very pricey little habit!) and would have loved to have this recipe back then. Looks fabulous!

  5. Ala

    For some (mind-bogglingly inexplicable) reason, as a kid I despised tomatoes, mushrooms, eggplants, relish, and basically every wonderful vegetable that wasn't green. (Weird, right?) Since then, my tastebuds have wisened up, and I can't wait to give this soup a try, maybe with some roasted red pepper too. Thanks for sharing!

  6. ValleyWriter

    Looks delish! I always love a homemade alternative to the canned stuff!

  7. sara

    Yum, this looks totally awesome! Comfort in a bowl. :)

  8. Denise

    Why is there almost never a serving size on these recipies?

  9. Paula

    This looks yummy and I can't wait to try this! Is tomato puree the same as tomato paste? Thanks!

  10. Annie

    This looks amazing--I love tomato basil soup! And on a side note, I love your white bowl! Very pretty!

  11. Natasha A.

    I made this the day you posted it. I was feeling ill, and left work early, but stopped at the grocery store for the ingredients.
    It was so VERY easy to put together (I however used 3.25% milk instead of 1/2 and 1/2 - still very rich and creamy!). It was so delicious! My husband who doesn't like chunks of tomatoes devoured it! I think I might try and puree next time, or just use the pureed/ground tomatoes instead of the diced.
    Thank you for making me feel better!

  12. Emily

    I just made this for dinner, accompanied by cheesy/sweet cornbread. It was a huge hit with my housemates, and filled everyone up well! I did make a few adjustments based on what I had handy:
    - I used Italian mixed herbs instead of basil (1-2 T)
    - Instead of half-and-half I used 2 cups of 2% milk and 1 cup of pouring cream (a small carton)
    - I used the whole tin of pureed tomato (400g) as well as the 2 tins of diced tomato (800g)
    - I used 1T of garlic powder instead of minced garlic
    - I used 1T of vegetable stock powder instead of the chicken base
    - I used brown (not white) sugar.
    Even with the changes it turned out deliciously! I will be passing the recipe around. I haven't cooked a proper meal in quite a while, so this is the beginning of new and tasty things :) Thanks for the inspiration!

  13. Vanessa @ See Vanessa Craft

    This looks yummy! I'd love for you to link up your recipe to Do Something Crafty Friday: http://seevanessacraft.com/2012/09/do-something-crafty-58/

  14. Mike

    I made this over the weekend and it was FANTASTIC! - I substituted fire-roasted, diced tomatoes and threw in an extra can of "diced tomatoes with habanero peppers". My wife and I like spicy food so we added a squirt of sriracha too. Our friends raved about the flavor!

    This recipe goes in my "keepers"!

  15. Ed Schwellenbach

    Print the ingredients in a readable color.

  16. Sara M

    I have a garden full of tomatoes right now. Would fresh work and should I do anything different using fresh tomatoes? Thanks

  17. Donna O'Neil

    That looks delicious! Thanks for sharing.....I will try to make it this weekend.

  18. Kaitlin

    This recipe is SO easy and delicious,. I love Applebee's Tomato & Basil Soup, but not the price. This costs next to nothing and took 20 mins to make. I had some frozen pesto and used that instead of fresh basil and it is wonderful. I followed the recipe almost exactly except used chicken bouillon cubes instead of the paste. Great and EASY recipe!! Thank you for posting!

  19. Cherie

    This is going to be great! I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed your website with all the beautiful photos and recipes. It has become my all time favorite recipe site. Thank you for sharing your love of cooking with the rest of us, I appreciate it more than you know! Every recipe that I have tried has turned out perfect. Thanks again!

  20. Karen

    Can you tell me how many servings this recipe makes? I want to make it for our office party next week in my crockpot.

    - Karen

  21. Danielle @ Something Like Susie Homemaker

    This looks amazing! I'm gonna have to save this for a rainy day or until my little sister comes over. Maybe after a bite of this her taste buds will wisen up!

    Thanks so much for sharing! :)

  22. Julie

    I made this two nights ago for my husband. He went CRAZY over it. He could not believe how delicious it was. He felt it was something he would find at one of his favorite high-end restaurants. He couldn't get enough. Thank you for sharing!!!

  23. Brenda VanDerLans

    This was very yummy. I made it with whole milk instead of half and half and it was still very creamy. Will definitely make this again Thank You.

  24. Darlene

    Just made this tonight! It was delicious!! Only the color was much more red than in your pictures, but will make this soup again! It's a keeper! Thanks for sharing!

  25. Chelcia

    I think it has too much garlic in it. I may try this again, but with less salt and garlic.

  26. jodi

    4

    Be careful what kind of chicken or beef base you buy...alot of them start with salt as their first ingredient. Look for ones that start with beef or chicken. I

  27. Deborah

    what is the square yummy shown with the soup?

  28. Shelli

    5

    I add cheese tortellini or mini cheese ravioli to this soup. My whole family loves this soup and I also have some tomato haters, but not when it comes to this soup!!

  29. Hannah

    4

    Great recipe! At my husband's behest I top with a handful of cheese when serving out in a bowl and I love the extra flavor that gives it. Also found myself needing a little kick from it and I added cayenne to taste. Will be adding to the circulation of recipes! Thanks!

  30. Kathleen

    I love this soup! I was wondering if it could be frozen since it has milk in it?
    Thanks!

    1. Lynn Bolle

      Would love to make this, but don't know what TT means. (Creamy Tomato Basil soup).

    2. Chef in Training

      So sorry about the confusion. It means to taste :)

  31. barbara

    what exactly is tomato puree is it like tomato paste.