This tomato basil soup recipe proves that roasted tomato soup is so much better from scratch! And, because it’s vegan and gluten-free, this soup freezes exceptionally well. Make a big batch to store for the winter months when tomatoes aren’t their happiest. Enjoy on a chilly night, with melty mozzarella and feta pita grilled cheese sandwiches for dipping.
Tomato basil soup often runs into a dilemma. Either it’s a heavy, overly rich bowl of cream with little tomato flavor, or it’s thin and watery. This roasted tomato soup solves that problem!
Roasting tomatoes in the oven concentrates their juices, intensifying their flavor. Roasted carrots add a touch of sweetness to balance the tomatoes’ natural acidity without any sugar necessary (it’s the same trick I use when I make oven-roasted tomato sauce). Warming spices and fresh basil and thyme bring an irresistible aromatic quality that will leave you wanting seconds!
This tomato basil soup recipe is so rich, flavorful, and comforting. Though it’s naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and Mediterranean diet friendly, it’s a sure hit for all diets–adults, kids, and picky eaters alike.
As Nelson so perfectly summed it up in the comments, “I’ve used this recipe before; First time was dinner party with some meat ‘n tater folks. Got rave reviews, still do. An interesting observation I make now is when I send out announcements for a dinner party the RSVP comes back with a question… “Are ‘ya serving that tomato soup again? We hope so!”
Table of Contents
Tomato Basil Soup Ingredients
This tomato basil soup swaps heavy cream and gluten for simple, easy to find ingredients that pack so much rich nutrition and flavor. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Produce: Tomatoes are the main flavor-maker here, with carrots providing a blancing sweetness. Opt for smaller, denser tomato varieties, like Roma (see “best tomatoes for roasting” for tips).
- Extra virgin olive oil: Used to roast and saute the vegetables, with a final drizzle enriching the soup and adding a nice flavor. Use a high quality extra virgin variety you have on hand, or stock up on our favorite selection of Mediterranean olive oils at our shop.
- Seasonings: Dried oregano gives the soup a strong aromatic quality. Kosher salt and black pepper enhance the flavor. Cumin brings warmth, and sweet Spanish paprika adds a subtle kick.
- Aliums: Lightly softened onions and garlic add a perfectly sweet and savory flavor to the soup.
- Canned crushed tomatoes: Add a concentrated tomato flavor and give body.
- Fresh herbs: Fresh basil and thyme add so much subtle aromatic flavor. They’re what bring this soup to the next level, totally setting it apart from any canned soup you can find.
- Lime juice (optional): Lightens the soup and marries the flavors together.
Best Tomatoes for Roasting
Tomatoes with lower moisture content, firm flesh, and a balanced sweetness tend to work best for roasting. Look for Roma, Campari, Early Girl or a similar small tomato variety that remains firm when ripe.
While a big, juicy heirloom is absolutely ideal in something like Caprese salad, a lower moisture tomato allows the flavors to concentrate and develop a caramelized exterior without getting too watery.
That said, if you have an abundance of garden tomatoes you’d like to use up, just be sure to cut any larger varieties into wedges before roasting. Keep a close eye on them as they cook to ensure they don’t burn, and adjust the amount of water in the soup as necessary.
How to Make Tomato Basil Soup
This tomato basil soup is as easy as it gets, you just need to allow about an hour to really develop the flavor (if you’re short on time, check out our recipe for Pappa Al Pomodoro (Italian Bread And Tomato Soup). Here’s how to do it:
Roast the Tomatoes
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 450°F.
- Prep the carrots and tomatoes. Slice 3 pounds of Roma tomatoes in half and add to a large mixing bowl. Peel 2 medium carrots, coarsely chop, and add them to the bowl. Add a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch salt and pepper and toss to coat. Transfer to a large baking sheet and spread well in one layer.
- Roast the carrots and tomatoes. When the oven is at 450°F, add the carrots and tomatoes and roast until the tomatoes have deflated and began to char at the edges, about 30 minutes. Set aside for about 10 minutes to cool.
- Prep the aromatics. Chop 2 medium yellow onions. Mince 5 garlic cloves (see the easy way in our how to mince garlic guide). Pick the leaves off of 1 bunch of basil.
- Blend. When the tomatoes and carrots have cooled slightly, transfer them to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Add a splash of water and blend until the vegetables have broken down and combined. Some texture is nice, so stop the processor before it becomes a super smooth puree.
Finnish, Simmer, and Serve
- Sauté the onions and garlic. In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium-high. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook briefly until golden, about 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and reduce. Pour the roasted tomato mixture into the pot with the onions. Stir in 1 cup of canned crushed tomatoes, the basil, 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon each of paprika and cumin. Stir in 2 ½ cups of water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar to allow some steam to escape. Let simmer for about 20 minutes or so.
- Finish and serve. Remove the thyme springs and transfer the soup to serving bowls. If you like, add top each serving with a squeeze of fresh lime and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Optionally, serve with your grilled bread, grilled cheese, or crusty bread on the side. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Tomato Basil Soup
I love to give the classic tomato basil soup and grilled cheese sandwich combo a Mediterranean twist. Our mozzarella and feta pita grilled cheese is the perfectly rich and melty grilled cheese sandwich to dip into a warm bowl of aromatic tomato soup. Or, for a fun little dinner party appetizer, top cups of tomato soup with crispy fried goat cheese.
Or, if you’d like to continue on the dairy and gluten free track, simply leave off the cheese on a crunchy green salad, like Maroulosalata (Greek lettuce salad) or Mediterranean cucumber salad.
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Finish your tomato soup with a drizzle from our collection of of extra virgin olive oils, hand-selected for flavor and quality.
Tomato Basil Soup
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Roma tomatoes, halved
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into small chunks
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 bunch (2 ounces) fresh basil leaves
- 3 to 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Fresh lime juice (optional, for serving)
- Pita grilled cheese, grilled bread, or toast (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 450°F.
- Roast the carrots and tomatoes. In a large mixing bowl, toss the tomatoes and carrots with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch salt and pepper. Transfer to a large baking sheet and spread well in one layer. Roast in the heated oven until the tomatoes have deflated and began to char at the edges, about 30 minutes. Set aside for about 10 minutes to cool.
- Blend. Transfer the roasted carrots and tomatoes (along with their skin and seeds) to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Add a splash of water and blend until the vegetables have broken down and combined. Some texture is nice, so stop the processor before it becomes a super smooth puree.
- Sauté the onions and garlic. In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook briefly until golden, about 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and reduce. Pour the roasted tomato mixture into the pot with the onions. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, basil, thyme, oregano, paprika, cumin, and 2 ½ cups of water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar to allow some steam to escape. Let simmer for about 20 minutes or so.
- Finish and serve. Remove the thyme springs and transfer the soup to serving bowls. If you like, add top each serving with a squeeze of fresh lime and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Optionally, serve with your grilled bread, grilled cheese, or crusty bread on the side. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Leftovers: Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate in tight-lid glass containers for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Reheat over medium, allowing frozen soup to first thaw in fridge overnight.
- Have more tomatoes to use up? Check out my 15 Mediterranean Fresh Tomato Recipes that are NOT salad!
- Variations: If you’re looking for a bit of a smoky finish, add a good pinch of smoked paprika. Or, to spice things up, roast some jalapeno pepper and blend them along with the tomatoes and carrots.
- Visit Our Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including spices and extra virgin olive oil used in this recipe.
Nutrition
*This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2019 and has been recently updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit. Enjoy!
This soup was incredible. Definitely making again!
So glad you enjoyed it, Gina!
Soup just doesn’t get any better than this! I love making this with my fresh garden tomatoes, SO GOOD!
Fresh tomatoes!! YUM! 🙂
Everyone at my house loved this soup!! So comforting and delicious!
Wonderful! Thanks, Toni!
This is perfect for all the fresh garden tomatoes!! Definitely pinning this for soup season too! Thanks for sharing!
MY pleasure, Lauren! Hope you enjoy it!
Oh my word, this is DELICIOUS!! The flavor is outstanding!
Thanks, Lauren!
This soup is completely wonderful! Thick and hearty, full of favor, with some homemade bread it was a satisfying dinner. The next day I served the leftovers as a chilled soup for lunch and, even cold, it was sooo good. Such a great recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it!
SUZI you are the GREATIST
Awww! Thank you so much!
Loved the flavor profile in this recipe and a splash of lime juice just before serving adds a perfect final touch. I made a large batch and froze in portion sizes the rest. Now, I have a healthy meal I can have at work or on a day I don’t want to cook at home.
Great idea!!
I so this recipe in my email this morning and I am not a big tomato soup person, though I do LOVE soups for work days, but this recipe captured my attention with the roasted tomatoes and carrots. It is cooking now and I had to have a taste. PERFECT!! The flavors are wonderful and using fresh garden tomatoes, basil and thyme adds even more to this dish. Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Stacey!!
Now, as i am making this soup again and again, i am more willing to experiment. Added halibut pieces and shrimps for a hearty seafood tomato soup. It was a natural fit.
This time i used larger tomatoes and cut them in quarters. I would say that halves work better, as they retain the juices inside.
Galina, thank you for sharing your fabulous idea!
This soup was a winner at my dinner party. Squeezing a lime at the end pulled all the flavors together. Highly recommend.
Thanks, Galina!
Made this soup and LOVE it!! Froze a few tubs for my meals ! Very tasty !
What a great idea to freeze some for later! glad you enjoyed it
I made this tomato soup strictly following the recipe. It was very delicious, rich in flavour and taste. Thanks so much for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed it, Carine!
This soup is delicious. I had to change a few things. First if you like a little spice add the jalapeño pepper. My husband doesn’t so I added a pinch Aleppo pepper, then I sprinkled some on my bowl. Just be sure to rub between fingers as you Sprinkle. Next time I will remove the thyme leaves from the stems before cooking.as they don’t dislove into the soup. It was messy to remove them from the stems after cooking. Last I used an immersion Blender to breakup the chunky Ness of soup. ENJOY
Thanks so much for sharing, Marie! So glad you enjoyed the soup!
Haven’t cooked this yet, although I can tell already this is going to be delicious and I intend to cook it soon and leave another review!
Just a note Suzy that extra-virgin olive oil is not ideal for cooking as it contains elements that become toxic when heated at high temperatures. It is highly nutritious can still be used for garnishing. Avocado oil / hempseed oil are good oils that have high smoke points, and grassfed organic ghee is my favourite. Google oil smoke point, Dr Axe has a few good articles.
Much love
A
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it. I am aware of the debate/myth around cooking with extra virgin olive oil. Actually, if you are using quality extra virgin olive oil, that is cold pressed etc. it is perfectly fine to cook with it. Researchers believe that the phenolic compounds stabilize the oil as it’s heated. Also, the smoke point of an oil does not correlate to the oil’s performance when heated. Oils with low smoke point (such as coconut oil), or moderate smoke points (such as extra virgin olive oil), were found to outperform oils with higher smoke points. But it’s vital that you purchase extra-virgin olive oil versus pure olive oil. Extra-virgin olive oil goes through less processing – it’s simply pressed and does not go under any heat or chemical treatment and is much better to cook with.
More information here: https://www.aboutoliveoil.org/is-it-safe-to-cook-with-extra-virgin-olive-oil
That is really interesting and so valuable for me, thank you so much for sharing this, I will now cook with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Coconut oil.
Although they don’t test it in that research study, Ghee is also very good to cook with and has many benefits according to Ayurveda, this page has some benefits listed at the very bottom: https://www.biohackerslab.com/reviews/best-grass-fed-ghee/
Peace and love, A
Thanks for the link! I’ll take a look!
Who was able to prep this in 10 minutes? Cutting Roma’s, carrots and onions and mincing garlic cloves took at least 30. Soup is good but timing is WAAAAAAY off.
Thanks for sharing, Anne. I’ve tested the time, and it is about 10 to 15 minutes to chop the tomatoes and veggies for me, but I understand it may take a bit longer for others.
Best tomato soup ever! I don’t even care for tomato soup, but I loved this version. I used leftover pesto in place of the fresh basil and it was delicious!