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A creamy, super delicious Tomato Basil Soup with no cream! A scoop of Greek yogurt and lots of healthy pureed veggies are the creamy secrets!
It seems that every year around this time I start craving tomato basil soup, and though I've got a bunch of renditions of this classic favorite, I'm always excited to come up with something new and unique.
It may be because of the rainy, cloudy weather, we've been having, on and off, for the last week or the fact that I'm starting to pull out sweatshirts again, but I wanted something creamy and comforting, yet loaded with great flavor. I'm always trying to keep things decently healthy so we can splurge every now and then, so I didn't want to use the traditional heavy cream to create the "creaminess". Hello, Greek yogurt!
I wasn't sure how Greek yogurt would work in a tomato basil soup but thought it was worth a try. I also added several chopped carrots and one large potato which I knew, when pureed, would add additional creaminess to the soup. I was super pleased with the results. The yogurt definitely adds a nice creaminess and  a bit of tang, which pairs nicely with the vegetables and basil.
Fire-roasted tomatoes, a delicious flavor booster!
I always keep my pantry stocked with fire-roasted tomatoes. What are fire-roasted tomatoes? You'll find them at just about any grocery store these days in the same section that you find the regular diced, crushed, stewed, etc. tomatoes. Fire-roasted tomatoes are exactly what they sound like, tomatoes that are charred over a flame before they're canned. You can actually see the charred flecks when you open each can.
Charring the tomatoes brings out their sweetness and imparts a mild smokiness. In the words of Bon Appétit Magazine, fire-roasted tomatoes are "a shortcut to more flavor". I couldn't agree more! Fire-roasted tomatoes not only add more flavor, but also give dishes a more appealing presentation because of their deep red hue.
A ton of flavor in one little scoop!
Another favorite ingredient of mine that adds lots of flavor with minimal effort is pesto. You can make your own, though I have to admit, I almost always have a container of purchased pesto in my freezer. I really like the bright green pesto you can purchase at Costco or Sam's Club. It comes in a large jar, is relatively inexpensive and lasts forever in the freezer.
When I want to use a scoop of pesto, I simply remove the container from the freezer, let it thaw for about 10 minutes, scoop out what I need, then pop it back in the freezer. Pesto contains basil, parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts or almonds (depending on the brand) so you can see why it adds such a nice pop of flavor.
When shopping for pesto, look at the ingredients. Make sure the main ingredient is fresh basil. I like to look for pesto that has a nice vibrant color too.
The remaining cast of characters
In addition to the ingredients listed above, there's also a pat of butter, a drizzle of olive oil, Italian seasoning (a delicious blend of spices), chicken broth, lots of fresh basil and a pinch of both brown sugar and baking soda. Brown sugar and baking soda? Yes! These two minimal ingredients both help balance out the acidity of the tomatoes in this Fire-Roasted Tomato Basil Soup.
Tomatoes have a high acidity level and soup and sauces made from tomatoes can be a little too pungent tasting or one-dimensional. Just a teaspoon of brown sugar and a half teaspoon of baking soda (a trick I learned from Cook's Illustrated) work magic in helping to balance and brighten the flavor of this soup.
Back to basics!
I like to pair this Fire-Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with some crusty bread, warm rolls or biscuits, hot from the oven. Add a simple green salad with a universally pleasing dressing and you've got a meal everyone will love!
So when you start feeling those cool winds blow, make a pot of this delicious, creamy-with-no-cream, healthy Fire-Roasted Tomato Basil Soup. It's one of those soups I think you'll find yourself craving again and again.
Café Tips for making this Fire-Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
- Although fire-roasted tomatoes add a nice depth of flavor to this soup, there are plenty of other delicious ingredients that pair to make a fabulous soup. So if you can't find fire-roasted tomatoes, regular diced, canned tomatoes will also work. You might have to give the soup a new name though!
- Want to make this a vegetarian soup? Just swap out the chicken broth for veggie stock or broth.
- I like to serve this Fire-Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with bowls of shaved parmesan cheese, pinenuts and additional fresh basil at the table. Everyone can help themselves and customize their soup to their own liking.
- If you want to keep things simple, this soup is also delicious with simply a bit of fresh ground black pepper and a drizzle of good olive oil.
- This is not a sponsored post, but I really like the organic chicken broth from Trader Joes. It's got great flavor, a pretty yellow hue and it's reasonably priced.
- This soup can be made several days in advance. Leftovers make great lunches for school or work.
- I like to use baby carrots for this soup as they're super convenient and don't have to be peeled or chopped. You can also use whole carrots if desired.
- An immersion blender is a wonderful little kitchen workhorse that makes preparing a pot of creamy soup like this Fire-Roasted Tomato Basil Soup a breeze. There's no dirty blender container to wash and no worries about building up too much steam pressure as in a regular blender. Immersion blenders can also be used to puree fruits and veggies, whip cream and make both smoothies and baby food. A good immersion blender is relatively inexpensive and would make a great gift for someone who enjoys cooking.
- This soup makes a large batch - 10 cups, but it is great warmed up for leftovers and also freezes well. Think how wonderful it would be to have this stashed away in the freezer for those busy days when dinner time arrives and you haven't really planned anything.
Thought for the day:
As the deer pants for water,
so I long for you, OÂ God.
I thirst for God, the living God.
Psalm 42:1&2
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Fire-Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons pesto
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 14½-ounce cans fire-roasted canned tomatoes
- 8 ounces baby carrots, or four average size carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 large potato, 10-12 ounces
- ÂĽ cup fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1-1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
To finish:
- ½ cup Greek yogurt, I use Fage whole milk yogurt
- 1 tablespoon pesto
- additional fresh basil leaves, for garnish, if desired
- shaved parmesan cheese, for garnish, if desired
- pine nuts , for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, combine the butter and the oil over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted and bubbly add the onion, pesto and Italian seasoning. Cook 4-5 minutes until the onion is soft and the mixture is very fragrant.
- Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, carrots, potato, basil, brown sugar, baking soda, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to a steady simmer. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the carrots are very tender.
- Add the Greek yogurt and the additional tablespoon of pesto. Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree the soup until nice and smooth. If using a regular blender wait for the soup to cool a bit. Then blend with the middle cap of the blender top off and several layers of paper towel or a clean kitchen towel over the opening to prevent splash back. You can also use a small funnel over the opening. The idea is to let some of the steam escape so there’s not an explosion from steam build-up in the blender.
- Taste and add more seasoning, if needed. Serve with, freshly ground black pepper, shaved Parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts and fresh basil leaves for garnish, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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This soup met all our expectations for tomato basil soup with flavor and body without all the fat. My husband loves tomato basil soup but in trying to stay away from cream, doesn’t order it anymore. I used nonfat Greek yogurt and a splash (2 T) of cream mixed together and blended that in after blending the vegetables without any curdling. I’m going to make this for a young friend who is health conscious. Another winner Chris! I’m going to try another of your tomato soups.
Wonderful! Thank you for the review, Bonnie!
Hey Chris,
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes. I have been making this soup for several years now and it is the favorite of my family. When I first made the soup, I was noticing how beautiful it looked in my cast iron pot while it was cooking so I couldn't help myself but I served it straignt from the pot without blending it. It is so flavorful I just love it. Same ingredients, just more like a rustic tuscan soup. I cook it this way most often but blend it once in awhile to change things up. Delicious both ways. Thanks again.
That's great, Nedra! Thank you for your review!
Chris, I made this easy & delicious soup last night but I had one problem - the yogurt slightly curdled when I folded it in at the end & I wonder what happened? I followed the recipe exactly, with the exception of using Fage 2% yogurt rather than 5%, as that’s what my store had. The baking soda should have offset the tomato acidity, so I’m perplexed unless the lower fat content of the yogurt caused the curdling. I’d like to make the soup again, as we really enjoyed the flavor, &, am hoping you have a suggestion. Thank you, Lorena
Hi Lorena, I've never had the yogurt curdle so it's hard to say if the lower fat yogurt was the issue. You might want to just add the yogurt after it's nicely blended, then blend one more time.
Hi Chris. I LOVE tomato soup, so I am looking forward to trying this recipe.
I have a question. If I can't find fresh basil can I use dried and how much?
Thanks for all your lovely recipes.
Hi Leslie, fresh basil is best for this recipe but dry will also work. I would use 1 teaspoon as it's much more concentrated and then add more, to taste.
I recently made this wonderful soup for my family. First , it was so easy to put together, and secondly, the omg, this is so good. Thank you for another star recipe.
Awesome! Thank you for letting us know, Diane!
Thank you so much for this wonderful grouping of recipes you have put together. I cannot express you how much I enjoy you. For this soup, do you have a favorite pesto?
Thank you, Judy! I appreciate your kind encouragement.
Regarding your question, I like to make my own, when I have the time, but I really like the pesto from Costco.
I would like to know if I could sub cream for the yogurt and how much?
I would like try this using cream. How much to sub for the yogurt? This recipe is what I have been trying to find, I can't wait to try it!
Hi Carroll, this will be delicious with cream! Use the same amount as the yogurt. ENJOY!
So many blogger recipes use fire roasted tomatoes but they don't seem to be a thing here in Canada. I wonder if the taste is that much different to regular canned tomatoes?
Depending on your local grocery product offerings, look for Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes.....import from California
p.s. Chris, the recipe is on the weekend must-try list.....thus no rating....all the previous recipes tried from your site have been top notch, and on the rotation list.
Thanks, Misha! Hope you enjoy it! đź’•
Hi Anna, fire-roasted tomatoes do add a really nice layer of extra flavor but this soup will be delicious with regular canned tomatoes.
Anna, I also live in Canada and am able to get Alymer fire roasted tomatoes at Real Canadian Superstore in Mississauga if that is any help to you.
Anna, I also live in Canada and am able to find fire roasted tomatoes made by Aylmer in tbe Real Canadian Superstore. I live in Mississauga if that is of any help to you.
Thanks, Sharon!
Thank you, Sharon! That's so good to know!
Hey Anna,
This is probably too late in coming but wanted to let you know that I can’t find fire roasted tomatoes where I live in Panama either. However they’re VERY easy to make yourself. Just heat up a frying pan dry and stick some Roma tomatoes in. Let them get a nice burned layer before turning them. Do this multiple times until they’re nice and charred. Then use those instead of canned fire roasted tomatoes! I made my first batch of this soup this way. I didn’t peel the tomatoes. Came out beautifully! Wonderful recipe, thanks,
Thanks so much for sharing this great tip, Abbi! So happy you enjoyed the soup, too!
this looks amazing!!
Thanks so much, Crystal!
I’ve had such good success with your other recipes, would like to try this one but have one question - do you think there would be a good result if I omitted the yogurt/milk? Thank you for sharing the wealth of good recipes!
Hi Lucille, yes I think it will still be delicious without the yogurt! I usually make my tomato soups without dairy but wanted something a little different this time.
I make this all the time since it’s my favorite! I bought individual small glass storage bowls with tops and keep a stack in my freezer. Microwave and it’s ready to go.
That's a great idea, Polly!