Tomato Soup with Basil Pesto Swirl (Print)

Velvety tomato soup with a vibrant fresh basil pesto swirl. Creamy, aromatic, and ready in under an hour.

# What You Need:

→ Soup

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 2.2 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped or 2 cans (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
05 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
06 - 3 cups vegetable broth
07 - 1 teaspoon sugar
08 - 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
09 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper
10 - ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

→ Basil Pesto

11 - 1 cup fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
12 - ¼ cup pine nuts or walnuts
13 - 1 small garlic clove
14 - ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
15 - ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
16 - Pinch of salt

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft and translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
04 - Pour in vegetable broth and add sugar, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
05 - While soup simmers, combine basil, pine nuts, garlic, and Parmesan in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. With motor running, drizzle in olive oil until smooth consistency is achieved. Season with salt.
06 - Once soup is cooked, blend until smooth using an immersion blender or in batches with a countertop blender.
07 - Stir in heavy cream, taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Warm through without boiling.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls and drizzle each serving with basil pesto in a swirl pattern. Serve immediately.

# Helpful Hints:

01 -
  • It transforms overripe tomatoes and sad herbs into something that tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen.
  • The pesto swirl adds a bright, herby contrast that makes every spoonful different.
  • You can make it on a weeknight and still feel like youve treated yourself to something special.
  • Itll warm you from the inside out without weighing you down.
02 -
  • Do not skip the sugar, it sounds strange but it cuts the acidity and makes the tomatoes taste sweeter and fuller.
  • Blend carefully if using a countertop blender, hot soup can explode out of the top if you fill it too full or blend on high right away.
  • Add the cream after blending, not before, or it can curdle when exposed to high heat.
03 -
  • Roast the tomatoes in the oven with olive oil and garlic before adding them to the pot for a deeper, smokier flavor.
  • If your pesto tastes too sharp, add an extra drizzle of olive oil or a squeeze of lemon juice to mellow it out.
  • Use a spoon to swirl the pesto on top instead of just drizzling it, you will get a prettier pattern that looks like you know what youre doing.
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