Tomato Soup with Basil Pesto (Printable)

Velvety tomato soup with a fresh basil pesto swirl. A comforting Italian-inspired dish ready in 45 minutes.

# What you'll 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 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 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
10 - 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

→ Basil Pesto

11 - 1 cup fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
12 - 1/4 cup pine nuts
13 - 1 small garlic clove
14 - 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
15 - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
16 - Pinch of salt

# Method:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
02 - Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
04 - Pour in vegetable broth, add sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
05 - While the soup simmers, combine basil, pine nuts, garlic, and Parmesan in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in olive oil until smooth. Season with salt.
06 - Once the soup is cooked, blend until smooth using an immersion blender or in batches with a countertop blender.
07 - Stir in cream. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Warm through but do not boil.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle each serving with a swirl of basil pesto. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The pesto transforms ordinary tomato soup into something guests will ask you to make again and again.
  • Everything comes together in under an hour, but tastes like you simmered it all day.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day when the flavors have had time to become friends.
02 -
  • Don't add the cream while the soup is boiling or it can curdle and give you an unpleasant texture.
  • Blend the soup carefully, hot liquid expands and can pop the lid off your blender if you fill it too full.
  • Make the pesto just before serving so it stays bright green and doesn't oxidize into a dull brown.
03 -
  • Use an immersion blender if you have one, it saves the mess and danger of transferring hot soup to a blender.
  • Taste your tomatoes before adding sugar, some are naturally sweet and won't need it.
  • If the pesto is too thick, thin it with a tablespoon of the warm soup before swirling it on top.
  • Freeze leftover pesto in ice cube trays for quick flavor bursts in pasta or scrambled eggs later.
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