Tomato Basil Soup

An easy slow cooker soup recipe, this Tomato Basil Soup is full of tomato flavor, is super creamy, and is easily a family favorite!

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Oh, how I love a warm bowl of soup for dinner! Serve this up with a loaf of Artisan Bread or sliced French Bread for a comforting dinner.

This Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup is a favorite of mine, and is so delicious and full of flavor! It doesn’t take long to get everything prepped, and then you let it do it’s magic in the slow cooker all day long. I love that this soup is creamy and cheesy. It’s perfect with grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner!

I am a soup person all year long, but I think this Tomato Basil Soup is a soup recipe that really lends itself to being an all year round soup. You can use fresh tomatoes in the late summer, or use this recipe as an easy, light dinner any time of the year. And since basil is plentiful in the summer, that’s just another reason to make this soup when it’s warm!

Ingredients

Chicken Broth: I like the flavor you get from chicken broth, but if you want to make it vegetarian, you can use vegetable broth.

Tomatoes: I use canned, diced tomatoes. If you have flavorful, fresh tomatoes, you could use those, as well. You would need about 4 cups of diced tomatoes. You may need to add in extra liquid if the soup is too thick.

Celery, Carrots & Onion: These are all for flavor. I like to try to cut them all the same size.

Basil: If you can get fresh basil, it will be the best. But if you don’t have fresh, you can use 1 teaspoon for each tablespoon of basil. I would suggest rubbing it together in the palm of your hand before adding it to release the oils and make it more flavorful.

Bay Leaf & Oregano: These are also for flavor – I use dried for each of these.

Butter & Flour: Once the soup is almost done, you’ll make a roux from the butter and flour that will thicken the soup.

Parmesan: I always suggest using freshly grated cheese. I would not use the parmesan in a green can, but if you don’t want to grate your own, you can usually find grated parmesan in the deli case at the grocery store.

Half & Half: Half milk and half cream can be substituted for the half and half. Or you can use my trick that I often use to cut back on calories and fat and use evaporated milk.

Salt & Pepper: Season to taste! I always taste before serving and add more salt and pepper, if needed.

How To Make Tomato Basil Soup

This recipe only takes a few minutes to throw together before it cooks in the slow cooker. When it’s almost time to eat, you finish it up and then you get to enjoy a delicious soup! Here are the steps – make sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient amounts below!

1. Start by throwing most of your soup ingredients into your slow cooker. This will be the chicken broth, tomatoes, celery, carrots, onion, some of the basil, a bay leaf and oregano. Cover it and cook.
2. When it’s about an hour until you are ready to eat, take half of the soup and transfer it to a blender and process it until it is smooth. (I like my soup to be all the way smooth, so I’ll blend all of the soup until smooth. But if you like some texture, then just do half.) Pour that back into the slow cooker.
3. In a saucepan, melt the butter, then whisk in the flour. Whisk about 1 cup of the hot soup into the pan, then whisk in a few more cups. Transfer all of that back to the slow cooker. This will thicken your soup.
4. Stir in the parmesan cheese, half and half, plus the remaining basil. Cook for one more hour before serving.

Other Cooking Methods

I love that this can cook in the slow cooker all day, but here are a few other ways you can make this recipe.

On the Stovetop

Melt a bit of butter or olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the carrots, celery and onion and cook until soft. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, half of the basil, the bay leaf and the oregano. Bring it to a simmer and let it cook until it is warmed through.

Take half of your soup and transfer it to a blender and process until smooth. Return it to the soup pot.

In a saucepan, melt the 1/2 cup butter, then whisk in the flour. Whisk in 1 cup of the soup, or more as needed, then pour all of that back into your soup pot. Stir in the parmesan, half and half, and remaining basil and simmer on low for 30-60 minutes before serving. Test for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if needed.

In the Instant Pot

Press saute on the Instant Pot and heat a little bit of butter or olive oil. Add your carrots, celery and onion and cook until the vegetables are soft. Turn the Instant Pot off. Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes, half the basil and the oregano. (You can skip the bay leaf for the Instant Pot version).

Secure the lid and set the valve. Press high pressure for 5 minutes.

When the time is done, let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes then quickly release any remaining pressure.

Take half of the soup and transfer it to a blender and process until smooth. Return to the pot.

Set the pot on saute while you make the roux.

In a pot on the stove, melt the butter and then whisk in the flour. Add 1-2 cups of the soup to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Continue to cook until slightly thickened. Return the mixture to the Instant Pot.

Stir in the parmesan, half and half and the remaining basil. Keep it on saute until it is warmed through. Test for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if needed.

Tips and Tricks

• Do not drain the tomatoes. You’ll want the liquid.
• If you want a completely smooth soup, feel free to puree all of it instead of just half.
• If you don’t want your soup thickened as much, you can leave out the roux by skipping the butter and flour. Just add the parmesan and half and half straight to the soup.
• I use a slow cooker similar to this one and I have this Instant Pot.

More Soup Recipes

Lasagna Soup Recipe
Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Clam Chowder
Ham and Bean Soup
Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Chicken Enchilada Soup

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Tomato Basil Soup

4.50 from 2 votes

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours hours

Total Time: 6 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

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An easy slow cooker soup recipe, this Tomato Basil Soup is full of tomato flavor, is super creamy, and is easily a family favorite!

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Ingredients

• ▢ 4 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 2 cans 14-ounces each diced tomatoes, undrained
• ▢ 1 cup finely diced celery
• ▢ 1 cup finely diced carrots
• ▢ 1 medium onion finely diced
• ▢ 4 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1/2 cup butter
• ▢ 1/2 cup flour
• ▢ 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ▢ 2 cups half and half warmed
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a large slow cooker, combine the chicken broth, tomatoes, celery, carrots, onion, 2 tablespoons of the basil, bay leaf, and oregano. Stir to combine.  Place the cover on the slow cooker and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or until the vegetables are soft.
• An hour before you are ready to serve, transfer half of the soup to a blender or a food processor and process until smooth. Return the mixture to the slow cooker.
• In a saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute. Slowly whisk in about 1 cup of the soup from the slow cooker.  Add an additional 3 cups of soup and stir until smooth.  Mix back into the slow cooker.
• Stir in the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, and the remaining basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook on low for an additional hour.

Recipe Notes:

adapted from Recipe Shoebox

SUBSTITUTIONS: You can use vegetable broth to make this soup vegetarian, but I love the flavor that the chicken broth brings. If you don’t have half and half, part milk and part cream will work. Or use a combination of evaporated milk and regular milk.

FREEZE: I would not suggest freezing this soup. Because of the dairy in the soup. The texture will become grainy.

STORE: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/6 of recipe, Calories: 416kcal (21%), Carbohydrates: 22g (7%), Protein: 13g (26%), Fat: 28g (43%), Saturated Fat: 17g (106%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 89mg (30%), Sodium: 698mg (30%), Fiber: 4g (17%), Sugar: 7g (8%)

Keywords: tomato basil soup