This is my favorite thing to make in bulk. This recipe will serve about 10 small bowls of soup. I’ll typically make this for lunch one day for my husband and I and then freeze the remaining soup in personal sized containers. This way I can thaw out a single sized portion whenever I’m feeling like eating some tomato basil soup. Much better than store-bought soup or ordering takeout from the deli! This recipe really is so easy and simple to follow. The ingredients are straight forward and everything is done in one pot. You can’t get much better than that.

I love a smooth, creamy, thick tomato soup… and this is just that. You start by sweating down some onion, celery and carrot. Then the crushed tomatoes are added which bring in a distinct slight acidity and bitterness. This acidity is cut by a good amount of sugar to make the soup slightly sweet. Chicken bouillon base is then added for a flavor bomb and some saltiness. You can’t forget the fresh basil leaves, which give it that organic basil flavor throughout. Then, everything is all blended up to create a velvet smooth tomato basil soup. Heavy cream is added to give the soup some body… and then it is simmered to perfection. So easy and so good. The perfect soup for any time of the year.

Serve this with a gooey grilled cheese or by itself with some crunchy croutons and shredded cheddar cheese.

CREAMY TOMATO BASIL SOUP

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Total time: 55 minutes

Yields: 8-10 small bowl servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup carrots, small dice
• 1/2 cup celery, small dice
• 1 cup yellow onion, small dice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter, unsalted
• 2 – 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
• 46 oz. bottle tomato juice
• 1.5 cups chicken broth
• 4 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp chicken better than bouillon base
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 pint heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a large pot to medium heat. Add in butter, olive oil, carrots, celery and onion. Let cook while stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes. Allow the vegetables to become very tender.
2. Add in both cans of crushed tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken broth, sugar, bouillon base and fresh basil. Bring to a boil then reduce heat down to simmer. Allow to simmer for another 15 minutes.
3. Use an immersion blender (or a standard blender) to blend the soup into a velvet smooth texture. If using a standard blender, pour soup in portions and blend till smooth (about 30 seconds). Repeat till all the soup is blended. Transfer back into the large pot.
4. Once blended and transferred back to the pot, bring to a soft boil and add in the heavy cream. Cook for an additional 15 minutes on simmer.
5. Serve with croutons and fresh basil.