I was skeptical to try this, as my brain told me good, homemade soup takes hours. I made a couple of substitutions to work with what I had on hand--my homemade tomatoes put up from my garden, already seasoned with onion, olive oil and parsley for one. I also used regular tomato juice rather than V-8, and added garlic powder, salt and pepper. I used basil from my garden, so it couldn't have been any fresher. So you throw a few things into a pot, stir, and add a couple of things to finish. How easy is that? Not only that, but this soup, garnished with a sprig of basil, was as pretty and delicious as any we've had in fine restaurants. This is yet another example of how great food doesn't have to be time consuming and complicated--just a few good and simple ingredients can turn out something amazing.
I didn't want a creamy soup - just a tomato basil soup so I started out knowing I wasn't going to be putting the butter or cream in.... I used a 14.5 oz. can of crushed tomatoes and a 14.5 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes. I put this in the food processor with the basil reserving half of the can of diced tomatoes for a chunky soup. I transferred everything to the saucepan along with chicken broth, V8, 1 Tbsp. of minced garlic, 1 tsp. of vinegar, 1/2. tsp. of thyme, 1 Tbsp. of brown sugar, and some salt & pepper. I followed the cooking time and it was delicious. I topped it with some seasoned croutons and served with BLT's.
I work at a small cafe and needed a Tomato Basil Soup recipe for a bridal shower for 40. This worked out to be the best since fresh tomatoes were out of the budget. I have recieved SO many compliments and repeat customers for this soup, so much so that it has become a regular menu item!! The only change I made was to add about a table spoon of brown sugar to a recipe for 12.
This soup was pretty good, but I felt it did need some seasoning. I added about a tsp of sugar, lots of salt and pepper, some garlic powder and a pinch of curry powder. I actually liked the soup better before adding the cream (I used half and half) and butter. I'll definitely make it again, but leave out the cream and butter. Oh, I also added a splash of balsamic vinegar just at the end of cooking. Thanks for the recipe!
Wow! This was so delicious! Even my husband, who normally can give or take tomato soup, said this was great and he liked that it was thicker than the average bowl of Campbell's- and much tastier too! I followed the recipe completely until the very end, and instead of an entire cup of cream, I only added half a cup, and I omitted the butter altogether. The creamy consistency was perfect. I also added a little bit of dried dill to add to the herb flavor, a teaspoon of bottled minced garlic, and some salt and pepper. The end result was VERY close to the Tomato-Dill Soup I love at one of our local restaurants. Great recipe Rachel!
I just opened a european deli end I was looking for for a tomato basil soup,this was the biggest hit(for soups),I sold it out on my first day.I added also 1 Tbsp of brown sugar.Thank you for this wonderful recepie.
Wow...my boyfriend and I are huge fans of tomato soup, and were looking to try our hands at making some of our own instead of relying on Campbell's, so my stepmom recommended this site to me. I stumbled across your recipe, and decided on making it. It turned out wonderfully. I think this is some of the best tomato soup I've ever had...definately better than Campbell's!
Very good and so easy. I would recommend thickening a bit but that's only because I like my soups with a bit more structure. I also added two large crushed cloves of garlic and fat-free half and half as well as salt and pepper to taste and it came out quite tasty. With a few tweaks it will be a five-star recipe.
I would probably go ahead and give this one 5 stars if I'd have followed the directions. So the less than perfect rating is actually my own fault. But don't get me wrong, it was still very good. I used half & half in place of heavy cream and light, whipped butter in place of the real deal. Also, I did not puree in the blender as instructed... (I was in a hurry and skipped it). However, the flavor was truly excellent. I will make this again and do as the recipe states next time; I'll bet it'll be "wonderful" rather than just "good".
I'm rating this based on the original recipe but will tell you how to make it a 4 star. Day one we found this soup to be bland boring and uninspiring. Day two it had a more intense flavor but still lacking. I had made some pesto (All Recipes Spinach Basil Pesto) and put a dollop into my bowl of soup and then it was YUM!
