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Tomato Basil Soup with Homemade Croutons

October 30, 2020 by Gina +

It’s soup season woohoo! Possibly the best season?

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I love a good, fresh summer recipe, but honestly, nothing beats cozier fall and winter cooking. Soups, stews, chili; I’m all about comfort food. And this is the season for it.

This is a super delicious and ridiculously simple tomato soup recipe. It’s something that is cozy and homemade but without a lot of work or ingredients.  I kept this very minimal for ingredients. But don’t worry about lacking flavor. The fresh basil adds tons! And the results? A warm and yummy bowl of tomato soup. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a bowl of tomato soup.

There’s a certain nostalgia behind a meal like this. Growing up tomato soup was something to have on a cold night if you’re feeling a little under the weather, wanted something light, or just needed a good home-cooked meal. And of course, you have to dunk a grilled cheese into the tomato soup.
This recipe does not include a grilled cheese however that is always a highly recommended addition.

There is no grilled cheese, however, I do include an easy recipe for croutons. The best part is you can make a bunch of them and they store well for future soups, or salads, or anything that needs a little crunch on top.

So what makes up the soup? We’re going to cook an onion, some freshly diced tomatoes (although canned works too) with some tomato paste, broth, and seasoning. Puree and top with croutons. It’s that easy folks.

For this recipe you need :

  • 1 onion, yellow or white works, diced
  • Fresh domatoes cut into large pieces
  • Tomato paste
  • Vegetable broth
  • Apple cider vinegar for a little kick
  • A tiny bit of coconut sugar (you can also use regular sugar or maple syrup)
  • A heaping half cup of freshly cut basil – I highly recommend using fresh basil and not dried. Fresh adds the best flavor for such a simple recipe
  • Salt and pepper, dont skimp on these

All this is cooked up in a pot then blend. It takes under 20 minutes from start to finish. How great is that?

For the croutons use leftover sourdough. I like to keep part of a loaf of sourdough in the freezer for when I’m craving avocado toast, need a slice of bread for something, or want to make some croutons. You can also use store-bought croutons, use another type of bread, or skip it altogether. But I personally think any creamy soup needs to have a little crunch added to it.

Tomato Basil Soup with Homemade Croutons

Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Servings: 0 servings
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 onion diced yellow or white
  • 3 pounds tomato, cut into large pieces You can used canned as well
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup chopped basil
  • sourdough cut into pieces (or bread of choice) I do 2 cups to have leftovers
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper

Equipment

  • 1 large pot for soup
  • baking sheet for croutons
  • blender or immersion blender

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 375. For the croutons, toss a little olive oil (1-2 tsp), salt, and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.
  2. For the soup, in a large pot heat a little oil. Saute the onion with a big pinch of salt for about 3 minutes.
  3. Add the tomatoes with a little more salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, until soft and breaking apart.
  4. Stir in the paste, sugar, then the broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for another 5 minutes.
  5. Add the basil then use a blender to blend it until smooth. Return to pan, stir in the vinegar. Simmer until ready to eat. Adjust salt anadpepper as needed
  6. Add croutons and enjoy!.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for more cozy soup recipes? Check out some of my favorites below:

This is a ROASTED TOMATO SOUP – takes a little longer with the roasting, but man that brings out such a delicious flavor. I favor this is summer with tomatoes picked straight from the garden.

CREAMY ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SOUP! This is a filling, totally satisfying bowl of deliciousness. Plant-based, healthy, and yummy

RED CURRY CAULIFLOWER SOUP – cauliflower blended into a delicious soup flavored with one of my favorite seasoning, curry paste.

You might also like:

Potato Corn Chowder Roast Veggie Bowl with Miso Tahini Dressing Vegan ‘Crab Cakes’ Vegetable Pasta Bake

Filed Under: Dinners, Recipes, Soups

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This Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Garlicky Spinach and Beans recipe from @testkitchen is the kind of weeknight dinner you’ll want to keep. It’s simple, flavorful, and comes together in under 45 minutes, which is exactly what I need on busy evenings.
I love knowing the recipe has already been thoroughly tested, so I can make dinner without wondering if it’s going to turn out. It makes weeknight cooking feel so much easier.
If you’re looking for more dependable, family-friendly dinner ideas, this recipe is available on the America’s Test Kitchen app and website. I’ve linked everything in my bio so it’s easy to find.
Save this for your next busy weeknight, and let me know if you give it a try!

Comment ‘recipe’ and I will send you the link to try out America’s Test Kitchen.
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large carb-balanced burrito-sized tortilla
1 egg
Shredded cheese
2 slices bacon
1/2 avocado, mashed
1 hash brown

Instructions:
Cook the bacon and chop it up. Mash the avocado and season with salt, mix in the bacon, and spread it on the tortilla. Cook the egg with a little shredded cheese, letting it cook mostly through, then fold it. Top the avocado with the hash brown, then add the folded egg. Fold the tortilla into a burrito and crisp it in a pan.
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If you love taco night but want something a little lighter and higher protein, this one’s for you. Folded burritos baked in a ring in the cast iron — easy weeknight dinner and meal-prep friendly

serves 6
1 lb lean 93/7 ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 onion
3.5 oz shredded cheddar + 2 tbsp for the meat mix
1/3 cup Greek yogurt (swap for sour cream if you want)
1 can fat-free refried beans
6 low-cal carb-balanced tortillas (70 cal each) @missionfoodsus 
Queso

How to make it:
Brown the beef, add taco seasoning, let it simmer
Stir in Greek yogurt + 2 tbsp shredded cheese
Cut a slit from center to edge of each tortilla
Layer beans on one section, meat on another, nacho cheese on the last
Fold into a triangle
Arrange in a ring in your cast iron skillet
Top with shredded cheese 
Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes

We top with sour cream, shredded lettuce, salsa, and guacamole 

Save this for your next easy weeknight dinner 🙌
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Blistered cherry tomatoes, creamy white beans, cottage cheese and plenty of crusty sourdough. It’s simple, hearty, satisfying and has plenty of protein without feeling like a “high-protein” meal.

Here’s how I make it:

A big handful of cherry tomatoes
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
Olive oil
Salt + pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon
Good Culture cottage cheese @good_culture 
Toasted sourdough for serving

Heat a good drizzle of olive oil in a skillet and add the cherry tomatoes. Let them cook until blistered and starting to burst, then give them a light mash.

Add the white beans, season really well with salt and pepper and finish with a squeeze of lemon. Let everything warm together for a few minutes.

Spoon into a bowl, add plenty of cottage cheese on top and serve with toasted or crusty sourdough for scooping.

So simple. SO good.
Save this one for tomato season. 🍅🤍
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I love recipes that are simple enough for a weeknight but still feel like a meal everyone is excited to sit down for. This one comes together in under 45 minutes, and I know I can count on it because America’s Test Kitchen recipes are so well tested.

If you’re looking for new weeknight dinner ideas that actually work, this recipe is a great place to start. You can find it on the America’s Test Kitchen app and website—I’ve linked it in my bio to make it easy to find.

Save this one for the next time you’re wondering what to make for dinner!
Jumbo Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins Tall go Jumbo Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

Tall golden tops, soft centers, melty chocolate, crunchy sugar on top—and the brown butter makes them SO good. Serve them warm. You can even freeze the rest for later.

Comment “MUFFIN” and I’ll send you the recipe!
Easy Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Garlicky Spinach Easy Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Garlicky Spinach & Beans  #ad
This Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Garlicky Spinach and Beans recipe from @testkitchen is the kind of weeknight dinner you’ll want to keep. It’s simple, flavorful, and comes together in under 45 minutes, which is exactly what I need on busy evenings.
I love knowing the recipe has already been thoroughly tested, so I can make dinner without wondering if it’s going to turn out. It makes weeknight cooking feel so much easier.
If you’re looking for more dependable, family-friendly dinner ideas, this recipe is available on the America’s Test Kitchen app and website. I’ve linked everything in my bio so it’s easy to find.
Save this for your next busy weeknight, and let me know if you give it a try!

Comment ‘recipe’ and I will send you the link to try out America’s Test Kitchen.
This breakfast burrito is one of my favorite ways This breakfast burrito is one of my favorite ways to start the day. Crispy bacon, mashed avocado, a folded cheesy egg, and a hash brown all wrapped up in a carb-balanced tortilla and crisped in the pan. It’s simple, it’s filling, and delish! 

large carb-balanced burrito-sized tortilla
1 egg
Shredded cheese
2 slices bacon
1/2 avocado, mashed
1 hash brown

Instructions:
Cook the bacon and chop it up. Mash the avocado and season with salt, mix in the bacon, and spread it on the tortilla. Cook the egg with a little shredded cheese, letting it cook mostly through, then fold it. Top the avocado with the hash brown, then add the folded egg. Fold the tortilla into a burrito and crisp it in a pan.
High-Protein Burrito Bake If you love taco night High-Protein Burrito Bake 

If you love taco night but want something a little lighter and higher protein, this one’s for you. Folded burritos baked in a ring in the cast iron — easy weeknight dinner and meal-prep friendly

serves 6
1 lb lean 93/7 ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 onion
3.5 oz shredded cheddar + 2 tbsp for the meat mix
1/3 cup Greek yogurt (swap for sour cream if you want)
1 can fat-free refried beans
6 low-cal carb-balanced tortillas (70 cal each) @missionfoodsus 
Queso

How to make it:
Brown the beef, add taco seasoning, let it simmer
Stir in Greek yogurt + 2 tbsp shredded cheese
Cut a slit from center to edge of each tortilla
Layer beans on one section, meat on another, nacho cheese on the last
Fold into a triangle
Arrange in a ring in your cast iron skillet
Top with shredded cheese 
Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes

We top with sour cream, shredded lettuce, salsa, and guacamole 

Save this for your next easy weeknight dinner 🙌
One of my favorite ways to eat summer tomatoes 🍅 One of my favorite ways to eat summer tomatoes 🍅

Blistered cherry tomatoes, creamy white beans, cottage cheese and plenty of crusty sourdough. It’s simple, hearty, satisfying and has plenty of protein without feeling like a “high-protein” meal.

Here’s how I make it:

A big handful of cherry tomatoes
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
Olive oil
Salt + pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon
Good Culture cottage cheese @good_culture 
Toasted sourdough for serving

Heat a good drizzle of olive oil in a skillet and add the cherry tomatoes. Let them cook until blistered and starting to burst, then give them a light mash.

Add the white beans, season really well with salt and pepper and finish with a squeeze of lemon. Let everything warm together for a few minutes.

Spoon into a bowl, add plenty of cottage cheese on top and serve with toasted or crusty sourdough for scooping.

So simple. SO good.
Save this one for tomato season. 🍅🤍
Creamy Summer Squash Orzo with Steak Tips #ad Thi Creamy Summer Squash Orzo with Steak Tips  #ad
This Creamy Summer Squash Orzo with Steak Tips from @testkitchen is one of those dinners that feels a little special without taking all evening to make.

I love recipes that are simple enough for a weeknight but still feel like a meal everyone is excited to sit down for. This one comes together in under 45 minutes, and I know I can count on it because America’s Test Kitchen recipes are so well tested.

If you’re looking for new weeknight dinner ideas that actually work, this recipe is a great place to start. You can find it on the America’s Test Kitchen app and website—I’ve linked it in my bio to make it easy to find.

Save this one for the next time you’re wondering what to make for dinner!
Jumbo Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins Tall go Jumbo Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

Tall golden tops, soft centers, melty chocolate, crunchy sugar on top—and the brown butter makes them SO good. Serve them warm. You can even freeze the rest for later.

Comment “MUFFIN” and I’ll send you the recipe!
Easy Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Garlicky Spinach Easy Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Garlicky Spinach & Beans  #ad
This Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Garlicky Spinach and Beans recipe from @testkitchen is the kind of weeknight dinner you’ll want to keep. It’s simple, flavorful, and comes together in under 45 minutes, which is exactly what I need on busy evenings.
I love knowing the recipe has already been thoroughly tested, so I can make dinner without wondering if it’s going to turn out. It makes weeknight cooking feel so much easier.
If you’re looking for more dependable, family-friendly dinner ideas, this recipe is available on the America’s Test Kitchen app and website. I’ve linked everything in my bio so it’s easy to find.
Save this for your next busy weeknight, and let me know if you give it a try!

Comment ‘recipe’ and I will send you the link to try out America’s Test Kitchen.
This breakfast burrito is one of my favorite ways This breakfast burrito is one of my favorite ways to start the day. Crispy bacon, mashed avocado, a folded cheesy egg, and a hash brown all wrapped up in a carb-balanced tortilla and crisped in the pan. It’s simple, it’s filling, and delish! 

large carb-balanced burrito-sized tortilla
1 egg
Shredded cheese
2 slices bacon
1/2 avocado, mashed
1 hash brown

Instructions:
Cook the bacon and chop it up. Mash the avocado and season with salt, mix in the bacon, and spread it on the tortilla. Cook the egg with a little shredded cheese, letting it cook mostly through, then fold it. Top the avocado with the hash brown, then add the folded egg. Fold the tortilla into a burrito and crisp it in a pan.
High-Protein Burrito Bake If you love taco night High-Protein Burrito Bake 

If you love taco night but want something a little lighter and higher protein, this one’s for you. Folded burritos baked in a ring in the cast iron — easy weeknight dinner and meal-prep friendly

serves 6
1 lb lean 93/7 ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 onion
3.5 oz shredded cheddar + 2 tbsp for the meat mix
1/3 cup Greek yogurt (swap for sour cream if you want)
1 can fat-free refried beans
6 low-cal carb-balanced tortillas (70 cal each) @missionfoodsus 
Queso

How to make it:
Brown the beef, add taco seasoning, let it simmer
Stir in Greek yogurt + 2 tbsp shredded cheese
Cut a slit from center to edge of each tortilla
Layer beans on one section, meat on another, nacho cheese on the last
Fold into a triangle
Arrange in a ring in your cast iron skillet
Top with shredded cheese 
Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes

We top with sour cream, shredded lettuce, salsa, and guacamole 

Save this for your next easy weeknight dinner 🙌
One of my favorite ways to eat summer tomatoes 🍅 One of my favorite ways to eat summer tomatoes 🍅

Blistered cherry tomatoes, creamy white beans, cottage cheese and plenty of crusty sourdough. It’s simple, hearty, satisfying and has plenty of protein without feeling like a “high-protein” meal.

Here’s how I make it:

A big handful of cherry tomatoes
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
Olive oil
Salt + pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon
Good Culture cottage cheese @good_culture 
Toasted sourdough for serving

Heat a good drizzle of olive oil in a skillet and add the cherry tomatoes. Let them cook until blistered and starting to burst, then give them a light mash.

Add the white beans, season really well with salt and pepper and finish with a squeeze of lemon. Let everything warm together for a few minutes.

Spoon into a bowl, add plenty of cottage cheese on top and serve with toasted or crusty sourdough for scooping.

So simple. SO good.
Save this one for tomato season. 🍅🤍
Creamy Summer Squash Orzo with Steak Tips #ad Thi Creamy Summer Squash Orzo with Steak Tips  #ad
This Creamy Summer Squash Orzo with Steak Tips from @testkitchen is one of those dinners that feels a little special without taking all evening to make.

I love recipes that are simple enough for a weeknight but still feel like a meal everyone is excited to sit down for. This one comes together in under 45 minutes, and I know I can count on it because America’s Test Kitchen recipes are so well tested.

If you’re looking for new weeknight dinner ideas that actually work, this recipe is a great place to start. You can find it on the America’s Test Kitchen app and website—I’ve linked it in my bio to make it easy to find.

Save this one for the next time you’re wondering what to make for dinner!

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