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Vegan Tomato Basil Soup recipe with step by step photos. Tomato Basil Soup makes a perfect meal on a cold winter evening, or a delicious appetizer for a crowd.
My sister hosts Thanksgiving every year and it’s the one meal I look forward to most. My siblings and I start preparing the menu weeks in advance. We take our food very, very seriously! When I was still living back east, I was always in charge of dessert, specifically my famous 2 layer cakes. Here are a few I made over the years – Coconut Hummingbird Cake, Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze, and Sour Cream Chocolate Cake with Almond Buttercream and Toasted Coconut.
Back home, our Thanksgiving kicks off with appetizers which includes a homemade soup. By now you must be thinking, you don’t really need appetizers on Thanksgiving and you’re absolutely right. If you don’t already know, I come from a family of big time foodies so appetizers are a must. We then feast on a delicious Thanksgiving dinner followed by dessert and coffee/tea. It’s the BEST, and I’m so gonna miss spending Thanksgiving with my family!
Since we kick off our Thanksgiving tradition with soup, here’s a Roasted Tomato Basil Soup for your guests to whet their appetite. This Vegan Tomato Basil Soup is made with 3 pounds of fresh organic tomatoes (trust me, it’s worth it) and onions roasted in the oven. This step is crucial in order to achieve that sweet tomato flavor. The roasted tomatoes and onions are then cooked with sauteed garlic, fresh basil, vegetable broth, and finally pureed. This soup makes 4 servings as a main course, however as an appetizer, this can easily feed up to 8-12 people. Hope you guys try it for Thanksgiving, or on a cold winter evening.
tomato basil soup is:
Flavorful
Fresh and Light
Vegan (omit cheese on top)
Gluten-Free
Healthy-ish
Paleo (omit cheese on top)
Comforting on a Cold Winter Night
Perfect with Sourdough Grilled Cheese
Delicious Appetizer (serves 8-12)
how to make roasted tomato basil soup recipe step by step?
Prep & Roast
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut 2 pounds of tomatoes into quarters. Slice the remaining 1 pound of cherry tomatoes into halves.
3. Quarter 2 small onions.
4. Place all the tomatoes and onions in a large baking tray (you’ll need two). Season with salt, black pepper, and olive oil.
5. Into the oven for 40 minutes. Stir halfway through.
For the Soup
1. In the meantime, chop the garlic, and set aside the basil leaves.
2. Once the roasted tomatoes and onions are done, turn off the stove. Remove from the oven and set aside.
3. Heat up a dutch oven castiron on medium heat, once hot, add 1 tbsp of olive oil followed by crushed red pepper. Saute until the pepper sizzles – about 30 seconds.
4. Add the garlic and cook for 45 seconds or so. Turn heat to low.
5. Spoon all the tomatoes and onions into the pot.
6. Add vegetable broth. I added 3 cups because I prefer a thicker texture, you can add up to 4 cups total.
7. Add all the fresh basil leaves.
8. Bring all the contents of the soup to a boil. Cover with a lid, and let it simmer for 10 mins on low-medium heat.
9. Once done, turn off the heat. Using a hand held blender, carefully blend on low speed. Alternatively, you can use a Vitamix to achieve a creamy texture.
10. Soup is done. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Garnish
1. Garnish with fresh basil, black pepper, and parmesan cheese (optional). Enjoy with a sourdough grilled cheese sandwich (optional). Enjoy!
Tomato Basil Soup
INGREDIENTS
Prep & Roast
- 2 pounds organic roma tomatoes
- 1 pound organic cherry/grape tomatoes
- 2 small white onions
- to taste sea salt
- to taste black pepper
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , for the tomatoes & onions
For the Soup
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, for the saute
- 1/2 - 1 tsp crushed red pepper, use 1 tsp for more heat
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
- all the roasted tomatoes and onions
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
Garnish
- to taste parmesan cheese
- fresh basil leaves, julienned
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep & Roast
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Cut 2 pounds of tomatoes into quarters. Slice the remaining 1 pound of cherry tomatoes into halves.
- Quarter 2 small onions.
- Place all the tomatoes and onions in a large baking tray. Season with salt, black pepper, and olive oil.
- Into the oven for 40 minutes. Stir halfway through.
For the Soup
- In the meantime, chop the garlic, and set aside the basil leaves.
- Once the roasted tomatoes and onions are done, turn off the stove. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Heat up a pot on medium heat, once hot, add 1 tbsp of olive oil followed by crushed red pepper. Saute until the pepper sizzles - about 30 seconds.
- Add the garlic and cook for 45 seconds or so. Turn heat to low.
- Spoon all the tomatoes and onions into the pot.
- dd vegetable broth. I added 3 cups because I prefer a thicker texture, you can add up to 4 cups total.
- Add all the fresh basil leaves.
- Bring all the contents of the soup to a boil. Close with a lid, and let it simmer for 10 mins on low-medium heat.
- Once done, turn off the heat. Using a hand held blender, carefully blend on low speed. Alternatively, you can use a Vitamix to achieve a creamy texture.
- Soup is done. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Garnish
- Garnish with fresh basil, black pepper, and parmesan cheese (optional). Enjoy with a sourdough grilled cheese sandwich (optional).
This recipe is DIVINE! Easy enough for a weeknight dinner on a chilly evening. Will definitely become part of our regular routine!
HI Kim. Thank you SO MUCH for your sweet comment. I’m so glad you liked it. It’s so easy to make and tastes so good on a cool night. Glad to hear! 🙂
Best and easiest tomato soup recipe. It was delicious!
The best tomato soup I’ve ever had! My family absolutely loved it!! My husband even said “this was by far one of the top 3 soups I’ve ever tasted”. I thought it was going to be hard to make but it’s actually very easy. The only time consuming part is letting the tomatoes and onions bake for 40 min but during that time I prepped the other things along with the grilled cheese sandwiches & side salad I paired with the soup. Will definitely be making this recipe again for my family.
Highly recommend everyone tries this recipe!
Thanks so much for your sweet comment Shelly… I so appreciate it. So glad it was a hit!
Thanks for this recipe! It’s so easy and delicious. Perfect weeknight meal for meatless Monday! I followed it exactly and the soup turned out perfect.
This soup was so easy to make and so delicious. I did add some extra red pepper flakes because I like it spicier. My whole family loved it!
This is one of the best soups I had ever had!
This soup is one of the best tomatoe soup I had ever had!!
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.