Name: Creamy Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Cuisine: Soup
Ingredients: 3 lbs – Around 10 Tomatoes (Roma tomatoes or Vine tomatoes); 1 lb – Carrots – peeled (You can use regular carrots or baby carrots); 9 oz – Yellow Onion (About half of a medium size onion); 2 oz – Whole garlic (With Skin); 1 oz – Shallot (Diced); 2 cans of chicken broth; 2 cups of water; 2 tablespoons of tomato paste; ½ tablespoon of sugar; 3 to 4 dried bay leaves; 5 to 6 springs of fresh thyme; 5 to 6 fresh basil leaves; Salt and pepper to season; ¼ cup of virgin olive oil

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This roasted tomato and basil soup is the perfect comfort food for a chilly winter day! The rich, creamy broth is packed with flavor from the roasted tomatoes and fresh basil, and it’s sure to warm you up from the inside out!

Creamy Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup in a white bowl with golden spoon on a vintage plate. Also have 2 jars of canned soup, bread.

When I first moved to America in the late 90s, I was obsessed with the tomato basil soup at La Madeleine. Their soup is rich, creamy, and packed with flavor. The aroma of their soup just filled the entire restaurant. At the time, I was a poor college student and honestly couldn’t afford to dine at La Madeline as often as I would love to. So I dreamed of one day making my own version of La Madeline tomato and basil soup at home. Fast forward to today, I finally figured out how to make my own version of La Madeline soup. This creamy roasted tomato and basil soup is very simple to make. You can make your own version of this gourmet soup at home with just a few ingredients. I can’t wait to share my recipe with you. Keep reading!

Roasted tomato and basil soup with croutons in a white bowl.

Recipe Snapshot

EASE: Easier to make than you might think
PROS: It’s Delicious and Healthy. You can make extra and store them in your pantry as your emergency food.
CONS: Takes time to make.
WOULD I MAKE THIS AGAIN? At least 2 to 3 times a month.

Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below

What is so special about this creamy roasted tomato & basil soup?

This soup has great health benefits and is perfect for the fall and winter.
Tomatoes are rich in antioxidants, Vitamin C (A home remedy for boosting immunity against the common cold during colder months), and Vitamin E.
This soup is excellent to pair with some warm toasty french bread or a grilled cheese sandwich.
You can make extra and Can your soup in mason jars. It will last long enough to enjoy it in the future, especially on those days when you don’t feel like cooking or wanting to eat light. This soup could be your meal savior.
Guaranteed the pickiest eater at your home would love this hearty soup.

Chez Lalonde Creamy roasted tomato and basil soup in a white bowl with crouton, basil, and cream. There is a jar of cream soup in the top right corner

What are the benefits of roasting these ingredients?

Roasting your ingredients before cooking the soup would

Bring out all the smoky flavor.
All vegetables would have deepened the flavors during the caramelizing process and brought out all the sweetness from the vegetables.
By roasting them, moisture evaporates to help intensify the flavor.
Tomatoes would get sweeter and not as tangy.
This cooking method can achieve a richer flavor and texture of the soup.

What tools would you need to make this soup:

Dutch Oven – I found that a dutch oven makes the soup taste much better than a regular stainless steel pot. Your soup mostly won’t be boiled over. Dutch oven retains heat well and evenly, so your food is not burnt.
Oven, cookie sheet, parchment paper, or foil – Roasting your vegetables.
Immersion blender – This tool is essential. You need it to puree your solid ingredients at the end of the cooking process. This is how you achieve that gourmet restaurant-style creamy texture of your soup.

So you need to try it! Let’s make it, shell we?

Let me show you what ingredients you need to make this delicious dish for your family tonight.

A tray of chopped raw roma tomatoes and other vegetables

tomatoes and other vegetables. 2 bottle of pepper and salt in the top corner

What are the key ingredients for this creamy roasted tomato and basil soup?

Tomatoes – You can choose either Roma tomatoes or vine tomatoes. I have tested both, and they are both lovely. However, I personally think Roma tomatoes roast better in the oven.
Carrots – I love adding carrots to all of my vegetable-based soups. It just gives extra sweetness to this soup. You can choose any carrots; baby carrots are just extra sweet, and I love to add that to the soup.
Yellow Onion – I love yellow onion in this soup because it releases an excellent sweet flavor after you roast it. I do not suggest you use white or purple onion. They are not so good with this type of soup.
Garlic – Make sure it is whole garlic with skin on. The skin can prevent your garlic from being burnt during the roasting process.

How to make creamy roasted tomato and Basil soup?

*easy step-by-step instructions below*

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400F, and line your cookie sheets with either foil or parchment paper.
Step 2: Slice your tomatoes, carrots, and onion (You don’t have to cut them too small or thin. Thicker pieces roast better in an oven). Put your tomatoes, carrots, onion, and whole garlic on the cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and paper. Mix them and roast them in the oven at 400F for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Once your vegetables are done roasting. I suggest you cut your carrots into smaller pieces for easy blending.
Step 4: Preheat your dutch oven on the stove to medium-high heat. Once preheated, add two tablespoons of olive oil and stir in diced shallots and tomato paste; cook them for a minute or until fragrant. Add in chicken stock and bring the broth to a boil.
Step 5: Add your roasted vegetables to your pot once your chicken stock is boiling. Also, add in bay leaves, thyme, and basil leaves. Mix all the ingredients well, cover the lid, and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
Step 6: After you boil your broth for about 10 minutes, add ½ tablespoon of sugar to even out the acidity of your tomato soup. At this time, you can also season it with some salt and pepper to your taste. Lower your stove temperature to medium-low heat and cook it for ten more minutes.
Step 7: Now, you can use your immersion blender to blend your soup. This little gadget can turn the soup into a creamy texture. If your broth is too thick to your taste, you can add 2 cups of water to thin it out but make sure you boil it for another 5 to 10 minutes until boiling.
Step 8: Your soup is now finished. You can garnish it with some fresh basil leave, croutons, and some Mexican cream to your liking.

Pro-Tips

Cut your carrots into smaller pieces AFTER you roast them. Do not cut them before roasting them to prevent burning your carrots. Cutting your carrots after you roast them would make blending easier = a smoother texture soup. I have once not cut my carrots into smaller pieces, and it results in a chunkier soup. If this is the texture that you like, then by all means, go with the chunkier texture and skip the cutting process. But if you want a smoother and creamier texture, cut them before putting them in your broth.
Do not worry about the char on your roasted vegetable (Unless it is super burnt). The charred vegetable deepens the flavor of the soup.
Do not forget to add sugar. Every time I make any tomato base dish, I always add a little sugar to balance the acidity in the tomato. This is super important.
Never use a knife to cut your basil. You will bruise your basil leaves, and they will turn black. Instead, you can use your fingers and shred your basil leaves into pieces.
If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a blender or food processor to blend your soup. The only important note is to make sure your soup is cool down before adding it to the blender or food processor.

Our Favorite

Side Dishes that would go well with this creamy roasted tomato and basil soup:

Any Grilled sandwiches (such as Cheese with Bacon, melted cheese, BLT…etc.)
Toasted sourdough bread
Cheese garlic croutons
Baked cheese potatoes
Mozzarella sticks
Garden salad with avocados
Grilled panini

Roasted tomato soup with croutons, basil, and cream. Soup is contained in a white bowl with short handle served on a silver plate with a golden spoon. There are 2 jars of soup in the background

What are the suggested substitution and variations to the ingredients?

You can substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth if you are a vegetarian or vegan.
Do not add extra water to your soup if you want a thicker texture.
If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a food processor or a powerful one.
If you end up blending your soup in a blender or food processor, please let your soup cool down before you pour your soup into your appliance. I suggest you get an immersion blender because just one less thing to clean and saves you time to reheat your soup again.
You can add a little bit of red pepper flake to add some “Heat” to your soup.

How to preserve leftover soup

Canning –

I highly suggest you get some 12 or 16-oz mason jars and can your leftover soup. Fill your soup in a mason jar and seal it with the lid. Boil a big pot of water and immerse your sealed jars in the water. Cook them for 20 to 30 minutes or until you hear the “Pop” sound. The sound indicates that the air has escaped the jar and is properly sealed. You can store your jar for up to 2 weeks in your pantry. You can find a more detailed Canning method in this blog post from The Spruce Eats.

Freezing –

It is OK to freeze your soup. Ensure it is completely cooled down and store it in an airtight container. Take it out a few hours before your meal to let your soup thaw out. You can reheat it in a microwave or on your stove. If your soup is too thick, add some water to thin it out.

Chez Lalonde Creamy roasted tomato and basil soup in a white bowl with crouton, basil, and cream. There is a glass of red wine in the top right corner

FAQs

I suggest sticking with fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes because you need to roast your tomatoes to get that smoky flavor. Cherry tomatoes are too small for roasting. So stay with what my recipe suggested.

Since we use an immersion blender or other blending methods to puree these ingredients, the final texture is already creamy enough; therefore, you don’t need to add heavy cream to your soup. However, drizzling a teaspoon of Mexican crema into your soup enhances a silkier texture.

A homemade soup is simply healthier since we are using all fresh ingredients to make this recipe. Unlike canned soup, there is no preservative, MSG, or other add-on chemicals added to this soup. I guaranteed canned soup won’t taste as wholesome as this homemade recipe.

I hope you find this recipe helpful and, most importantly, you find it tasty. If you make this soup for your friends and family, please tag me on IG so that I can see your creation, and let me know what you think. If you like this recipe, tag me on Instagram at @ chezlalonde with #cookingwithchezlalonde or leave your comment below. I can’t see what you create.

Bon Appetit.

Creamy Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup