Tomato Basil Soup

Top down view of a bowl of tomato soup garnished with basil, parmesan cheese, and swirl of cream, and a grilled cheese off to the side.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dairy free tomato basil soup, easy tomato basil soup, gluten-free tomato basil soup, instant pot tomato basil soup, slow cooker tomato basil soup

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 30

Servings: two cup servings (about)

Calories: 104kcal

Author: Malinda Linnebur

This Tomato Basil Soup is a classic soup that's easy to make from scratch. You can add cream and Parmesan cheese for an extra tasty twist! Instant Pot, slow cooker, and stovetop instructions included!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter or oil of choice
1 small onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3-6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups (945 ml) vegetable broth
1 (28 oz)(793 g) can tomatoes (use any kind you have)
1 (14.5 oz) (411 g) can diced tomatoes (use any kind you have)
1 (6 oz) (170 g) can tomato paste
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

STOVETOP:

In a large pot, melt butter or oil over medium heat. Saute the onion, carrot, and celery just until the onion starts to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the remaining ingredients, cover, and reduce to a simmer for 25 minutes.
Remove from heat and blend with a high powered blender or an immersion blender.

INSTANT POT:

Set the Instant Pot to saute function. Melt butter or oil in Instant Pot. Saute onion, carrot, and celery just until onion starts to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the remaining ingredients, place lid on Instant Pot, and set it to the locking position. Set the valve to sealing. Cook on HIGH pressure for 5 minutes and do a 10 minute natural release before releasing the remaining pressure.
Blend with a high powered blender or an immersion blender.

SLOW COOKER:

In a large skillet melt the butter or oil over medium heat. Saute the onion, carrot, and celery just until the onion starts to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a 6 quart slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients, cover, and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 7-8 hours.
Blend with a high powered blender or an immersion blender.

Notes

Using an immersion blender will not create a totally smooth soup. It's what I used to make the soup you see in these pictures. If you prefer really smooth tomato soup use a high powered blender.
You can leave out the honey if you prefer. I like to use it to help cut the acidity of the tomatoes.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
FREEZER FRIENDLY: Cool soup completely and transfer to a freezer-safe container. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat as desired.
NUTRITION INFO: Nutrition calculated with butter.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Parmesan cheese, heavy cream, cheddar cheese, goldfish crackers, oyster crackers, croutons, sour cream, pesto, or sundried tomatoes.

As far as what to serve along with your tomato soup here are a few options:

Grilled cheese!!! Garlic bread, crusty bread, simple side salad or check out some of my other salads, Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, or Homemade Cheese Pizza just to name a few. There really are so many options here.

Nutrition