Tomato Soup with Basil Pesto Swirl (Printer Friendly)

Velvety tomato soup finished with a bright 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 lbs ripe tomatoes, chopped or 2 cans (28 oz) 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 2 tablespoons 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 pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
05 - While soup simmers, combine basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic clove, and Parmesan cheese in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. With motor running, drizzle in extra virgin olive oil until smooth. Season with salt to taste.
06 - Once cooked, blend soup 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 but do not boil.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle each serving with a swirl of basil pesto. Serve immediately.

# Pro Advice:

01 -
  • The pesto swirl transforms ordinary tomato soup into something restaurant-worthy without any fuss.
  • It comes together in under an hour, which means comfort food on a weeknight is completely doable.
  • The balance between sweet tomatoes and herby, nutty pesto makes every spoonful feel layered and interesting.
  • You can make both parts ahead and reheat when you need a quick, satisfying meal.
02 -
  • Blend hot soup carefully, filling the blender only halfway and venting the lid, because steam pressure can cause dangerous spills.
  • Add the cream after blending and keep the heat low, or it can curdle and ruin the silky texture you worked for.
  • Make the pesto right before serving if possible, since basil oxidizes quickly and loses its bright green color when exposed to air.
  • Taste the soup after blending, because tomatoes vary wildly in acidity and sweetness, and you might need extra sugar or salt to balance it.
03 -
  • Toast the pine nuts lightly in a dry pan before blending them into the pesto for a deeper, nuttier flavor that makes the whole swirl taste richer.
  • Use a spoon to gently swirl the pesto into each bowl rather than stirring it in completely, so you get little pockets of herbaceous brightness in every bite.
  • If your tomatoes taste too acidic even after adding sugar, a tiny pinch of baking soda will neutralize the sharpness without changing the flavor.
  • Save a few fresh basil leaves to float on top of the finished soup, because the visual pop makes it feel special even on a Tuesday night.
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