This rich and creamy Homemade Tomato Soup is made with a can of San Marzano Tomatoes, fresh and roasted Roma Tomatoes, then thickened with pine nuts.
A swirl of fresh Basil Pesto really amps up the flavour profile and gets those taste buds tingling. Vegan and vegetarian recipe options available.
Tomatoes are the star of the show here on the blog! During the summer we can’t get enough of fresh garden tomatoes and herbs in this Tomato Cucumber Herb Salad. Every fall, we can up a case of Roma tomatoes to make our annual Roma Tomato Passata.
Creamy Homemade Tomato Soup
This recipe for homemade tomato soup has been a long time coming and I’m so glad to finally share the recipe with you today! There is nothing more satisfying than sitting down to a bowl of this soup.
I don’t want to toot my own horn but the flavour and bisque-like texture of this soup is second to none and certainly far above soup that comes from a can. Plus, it’s so EASY!
How Do You Get the Most Flavourful Tomato Soup?
The answer is triple the tomatoes…to triple the Tomato Soup Flavour! In most recipes, but especially ones as simple as this one, the quality of ingredients is of greatest importance.
This recipe contains fresh Roma Tomatoes grown right in our backyard, both fresh and oven roasted. In addition, adding a whole can of San Marzano tomatoes really coaxes out maximum tomato flavour in this soup.
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A Flavour and Texture Experiment
I did a little flavour/texture experiment with this soup. First I tested half of the soup with just the four main ingredients; tomatoes, stock, onion, and garlic. Then I tested the other half using a thickening agent like pine nuts.
Both versions had a light creamy texture (I attribute this to the Vitamix #notsponsored) but the pine nut version was creamier and had such a nice nutty flavour.
If you don’t have pine nuts, toast up some raw cashews or sunflower seeds. All three will add a bit of sweetness and are a great way to make vegetable soups ultra creamy.
Vegans rejoice! You can easily substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock and use nutritional yeast in place of the cheese in the basil pesto.
Finally, adding nuts instead of cream to this soup is the last step in making a super creamy vegan tomato soup.
How to Make Tomato Basil Soup
Both versions of this soup are tasty on their own. However, if you want to amp up the flavour even more, adding basil is the way to go. There’s just something about the two flavours that really compliment each other.
Basil is one of those herbs that can be difficult to grow but this summer I discovered the secret. Not only do tomatoes and basil taste great together, but they grow well together too!
Taking the time to whip up a fresh batch of Basil Pesto really takes this soup to another level. It’s really easy to make, just place fresh basil leaves, toasted pine nuts, finely grated Parmesan Cheese, and a squeeze of lemon in the bowl of a food processor.
Season, then process and drizzle in olive oil until you have reached your desired consistency. That’s it! I love the colour contrast between the swirl of bright green pesto on the bright orange soup.
Serve this creamy homemade tomato soup with a slice of buttered whole wheat no knead bread or easy and cheesy Bisquick Cheddar Biscuits.
Is Tomato Soup Healthy For You?
Oh, heck yes! Especially this version. It’s packed full of tomatoes which are extremely high in lycopene. Lycopene is an anti-oxidant which is linked to bone health as well as reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Tomatoes are also high in Vitamins C and K, plus they have a lot of Potassium and fibre.
Creamy Homemade Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic; minced
- 1 medium onion; chopped
- olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 cups sun dried or oven dried Roma Tomatoes
- 28 oz. San Marzano Tomatoes (whole or diced)
- 8 Fresh Roma Tomatoes; cut in quarters and de-seeded
- 4 cups chicken stock (or veggie stock for vegan/vegetarian option)
- 1/2 cup pine nuts; slightly toasted (you can also use raw cashews or sunflower seeds)
- 1/3 cup pesto; freshly made or store bought (vegan pesto can be made by substituting Nutritional yeast for the Parmesan cheese)
FOR THE PESTO
- 2 cups fresh basil
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; finely grated
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- squeeze of lemon
Instructions
- Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and sauté for a few minutes, then add garlic and continue cooking for another few minutes until onion becomes translucent.
- Season with salt and dried basil.
- Add can of tomatoes, chopped fresh tomatoes, and dried roasted tomatoes to the pot. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
- Add four cups of chicken broth (or veggie broth) and cover. Allow to simmer on low to medium heat for 30 minutes.
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan. Add pine nuts and 1/3 cup pesto to the soup just before processing.
- Process hot soup in batches until texture becomes creamy or use an immersion blender.
FOR THE PESTO
- While the soup is simmering, make the pesto by placing fresh basil leaves, cup toasted pine nuts, cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon in the bowl of a food processor.
- Process and drizzle in olive oil until you have reached your desired consistency.
Notes
To roast Roma Tomatoes: Slice tomatoes in half lengthwise, then again so that there are four quarters. Remove seeds. Place on a lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season. Bake in 350 F oven for 45 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
To make this soup vegan: Substitute vegetable stock in place of chicken stock and nutritional yeast in place of Parmesan cheese)
To achieve the ultra creamy body of this soup, you need a high powered blender such as a Vitamix.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
2 cupsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 288Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 531mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gProtein: 10g
Nutritional calculation was provided by Nutritionix and is an estimation only. For special diets or medical issues please use your preferred calculator.
Mmmmmmm. That is beautiful soup. I really prefer canned (good) tomatoes when I make soup, and San marzano are the best. I’ve tried to grow them with no luck. I guess they prefer the Italian countryside! Love the pesto and pine nut addition.
They sure do. Even romas are picky and this year was not a great year for tomatoes. Still, I had enough for two feeds of this soup so I was pretty happy about that! I think I would prefer the Italian countryside too!
Oh wow this looks scrumptious! This with a gooey grilled cheese on a cold winter day would PERFECT!
Mmmmm, great call!
I can’t believe I never thought to add pesto to my tomato soup before – what a great tip! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome Aline, thanks for stopping by.
Awesome, I hope you enjoy a bowl soon!
My husband loves tomato soup, and we have a bunch of roma tomatoes in the fridge (buy one, get one for the win) and sun dried tomatoes in the pantry right now – guess what I’m making!
YES!! I hope you both enjoy the soup…let me know how it goes!
This is so good. I love making tomato soups and your recipe looks so so good.
Pesto is always so delicious with anything and definitely goes well as a topping with this delicious tomato soup. I love it and your recipe too.
Thank you Veena! I’m so glad we’ve crossed paths. Happy cooking!
This looks so delicious! One of my favorite soups is tomato soup. For sure saving for the colder weather!
Me too, especially with grilled cheese sandwiches.
I love the tips on roasting the tomatoes and using three varieties in the soup! This is fantastic!
Tomato flavour to the max!!
This is such a delicious soup! The pesto topping is the perfect finishing touch, and it’s so full of flavor. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Amanda…I was very happy with it. So tasty!
This tomato soup looks delicious and hearty, and I love the drizzle of pesto…what a great flavor idea! Pinning so I can make it this winter!
Awesome! Thanks so much Lisa…enjoy!
Nothing beats homemade tomato basil soup, especially made from homegrown tomatoes! I definitely want to try this pine nut version. Delicious!
I was pretty excited to use up the last of the tomatoes, lol. I roasted half when they ripened first and then made the soup when the other half ripened.
The three kinds of tomatoes in here make this amazing, especially when some are from your own garden! I also love that you’ve created a creamy soup that’s nondairy, except for the pesto.
Yes, I was inspired by a soup I had at a local restaurant which used sunflower seeds to thicken their roasted red pepper soup. The pesto is also quite easy to make non dairy.
Tomatoes with basil–yes! We plant them side by side, so why wouldn’t they be delicious together in a soup? Love that basil swirl on top! It’s great that you were able to use your home-grown tomatoes, too! Pinned.
I really like how you added the pesto for some extra flavor while also giving it an extra punch of color. This will be perfect for serving at any Christmas celebration.
So tasty…and we eat with our eyes right? What an odd saying…
Oh my goodness Bernice! Go ahead and toot your horn because this looks absolutely delicious! I felt like the bowl of soup was right in front of me. So mouthwatering! I can only imagine how flavorful it must be… tomatoes, basil and pine nuts. A classic combination that simply works so well together. Thanks for sharing… can’t wait to try it!
Thanks Maria, I was inspired by the delicious basil tomato soup we had oh-so-long-ago at the Montreal FBC conference!
I really love Tomato Soup and your Creamy Homemade Tomato Soup looks really scrumptious! I am definitely going to make this for the family.
I hope they love it Dennis! Thanks for stopping by.