Equipment
Ingredients
Aromatics
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil, cold
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic, minced
Base
- 800 g whole peeled tomatoes, canned, with juices
- 240 ml vegetable broth, low-sodium preferred
- 30 g fresh basil, roughly torn
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 18 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 9 g
- Sodium
- 671 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Potassium
- 109 mg
- Calcium
- 32 mg
- Iron
- 0.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 7 mg
- Phosphorus
- 12 mg
- Zinc
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 73 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 45 mg
- Vitamin E
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 35 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.02 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.02 mg
- Niacin
- 0.2 mg
- Folate
- 5 mcg
- Water
- 68 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced yellow onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic and cook continuously for 1 minute to release its natural oils and aroma without browning.
Add the whole peeled tomatoes with their juices, vegetable broth, kosher salt, and black pepper. Use a wooden spoon to lightly crush the tomatoes.
Increase the heat slightly to bring the mixture to a gentle boil at approximately 100 degrees Celsius or 212 degrees Fahrenheit, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the Dutch oven from the heat completely. Stir in the torn fresh basil leaves and let them wilt in the residual heat for 2 minutes.
Carefully blend the soup until completely smooth using an immersion blender. If using a standard blender, work in batches and vent the lid to allow steam to escape.
Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Ladle into bowls and serve warm.
Chef's Notes
- Resist the urge to boil the basil. Exposing fresh basil to sustained high heat destroys its flavor compounds, leaving behind a bitter, bruised taste. Always add it after removing the pot from the heat.
- For an extra layer of richness without adding dairy, drizzle a high-quality finishing olive oil over each bowl right before serving. The fat carries the aromatics of the soup beautifully.
- If your blender leaves the soup slightly coarse, you can pass the blended liquid through a fine mesh sieve for a restaurant-quality, silky texture.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container. Flavors will deepen overnight.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze without heavy cream or dairy garnish if adding any later, to prevent splitting.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat until simmering.
Troubleshooting
Soup tastes excessively sharp or acidic.
Cause: The canned tomatoes used were highly acidic or under-ripe.
Fix: Stir in an eighth of a teaspoon of baking soda to neutralize the acid, or a small pinch of sugar to mask it.
Prevention: Use high-quality San Marzano tomatoes which naturally contain more sweetness and less acidity.
Soup is too thin and watery.
Cause: Too much vegetable broth was added relative to the tomatoes, or it was not simmered long enough to reduce.
Fix: Simmer uncovered for an additional 10 minutes to evaporate excess liquid.
Prevention: Measure broth accurately and ensure a steady simmer.
Cultural Context
Tomato soup has been a foundational comfort food in American cuisine since the late 19th century, popularized largely by the invention of condensed canned soups. The addition of basil draws heavy inspiration from Italian culinary traditions, where the pairing of tomatoes, garlic, and basil is a cornerstone flavor profile known to evoke the freshness of late summer harvests.
