Name: Tomato Basil Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients: 3 lb ripe vine tomatoes, halved; 1 yellow onion, cut into thick wedges; 8 garlic cloves, peeled; 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to finish; 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth; 1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed, plus small leaves to garnish; 1 tsp granulated sugar, only if the tomatoes taste sharp; 1/3 cup heavy cream, optional; to taste kosher salt and cracked black pepper; 4 thick slices country bread, toasted, for serving

Tomato Basil Soup

4.7 from 25 home cooks Free

Vine tomatoes and whole garlic cloves roast until blistered and jammy, then get blended into a smooth, brick-orange soup with a torn handful of basil. It tastes like late summer even when the tomatoes are only decent, and it begs for a slab of toasted bread on the side.

Prep

15 min

Cook

50 min

Total

1 hr 5 min

Serves

Level

Easy

Cuisine

Italian-American

Method

Step 1: Heat the oven to 425F. Spread the tomatoes cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet with the onion wedges and garlic, drizzle with the olive oil, and season well with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tomato skins wrinkle and char in spots and the garlic is soft enough to squash with a fork.
Step 3: Scrape everything, including the sticky juices on the pan, into a large pot. Add the broth and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Step 4: Take the pot off the heat, add the basil, and blend with an immersion blender until completely smooth. For a restaurant-silky texture, push the soup through a fine sieve to catch the seeds and skins.
Step 5: Taste. If the soup is sour enough to make you squint, stir in the sugar. Add the cream if using and rewarm without boiling.
Step 6: Ladle into bowls, float a few small basil leaves on top, crack over some pepper and add a thread of olive oil. Serve with the toast.

Kitchen note

Roasting drives off water and browns the tomato sugars, which is why this soup tastes concentrated without needing a can of paste or an hour of stovetop reduction.