Tomato Bisque Basil Soup

Last Updated on December 26, 2023

If you love hearty, nourishing soups, you will definitely adore this wonderfully creamy Tomato Bisque Basil Soup recipe. 

This homemade tomato soup will make a hearty appetizer or meal starter. It’s easy to pair with different types of sandwiches (the Fancy Turkey and Cheese Sandwich is a family favorite) or salads like the Greek Salad for a completely enjoyable, filling meal.  Plus, you can also savor it on its own – especially on days when you are just craving something warm and comforting to make your day better. 

Soups help complete every meal, and I guarantee this tomato soup is absolutely delicious – definitely among the best ones I have ever made. So let’s dive in! 

Jump to:

• What Is A Bisque?
• How to Choose the Best Tomatoes for a Bisque Soup
• SAVE THIS RECIPE!
• ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔀 Substitutions
• 🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins
• 🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
• 🔪 How to Make Tomato Bisque Basil Soup
• 👩‍🍳 Pro Tips
• ❓ Recipe FAQs
• 🙏 Pairing
• SAVE THIS RECIPE!
• 📋 Recipe

What Is A Bisque?

Bisques are a French type of soup. The more modern versions can be made using pureed vegetables, such as tomatoes, as the main ingredient. Bisques have a higher cream-to-stock ratio, making them richer and creamier. Key ingredients like white wine or heavy cream are used to achieve this.

Making bisques takes extra steps. The main ingredients are cooked twice and then it is thickened with roux or rice. After that, the bisque is pureed and strained to achieve a very smooth texture. This process is what sets bisques apart from other types of soups.

How to Choose the Best Tomatoes for a Bisque Soup

Tomatoes are the heart of this bisque recipe, so it’s important that you choose the best ones to use.

For this type of soup, plum tomatoes like San Marzano or Roma tomatoes work best. This type of fresh tomato is deeply flavorful, sweet when ripe, has a mushy interior with few seed counts, and has a low water content that makes it amazing for different sauces and soups.

You won’t even have to worry about dealing with tomato skins since you can just leave them on instead of peeling them off one by one beforehand! These tomatoes are a bit smaller than your usual variety, and they also look more oblong than round.

When choosing plum tomatoes, look at the color of their skin. You will want to pick the reddest ones, as those with green bits may not yet be ready to eat.

Check its flesh, too; you’ll want your tomatoes to be a bit firm to the touch and not overly mushy, as that might mean they are already overripe. Lastly, you’ll want to check for any signs of bruising or disease and only get those without them.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

So, what makes this creamy tomato basil soup recipe a great one to include in your family menu? Here are some points to consider for trying this tomato bisque, if you haven’t made this recipe yet!

• It’s a quick and easy recipe. You won’t need to do much to make the soup! You’ll only be required to chop up the ingredients, throw them into a Dutch oven to sweat and simmer, and then puree until smooth before serving.
• It’s a highly nutritious meal. Tomatoes are low in calories while also packed with vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants like lycopene that’s great for your heart health. Serving this soup will definitely give your family a much-needed health boost.
• It’s perfect for picky eaters. This soup is delicious and is definitely a great way to encourage your picky kids to eat well! Pair it with salads and sandwiches, or eat it on its own for a filling, delicious meal.

If this recipe is right up your alley, then you might also enjoy Hearty Lobster Corn Chowder Soup Recipe.

🥘 Ingredients

Making this tomato basil bisque may not require a separate trip to the grocery store, as most of the ingredients in this great recipe may already be found in your pantry. To make the soup, you’ll need:

• Tomatoes: This ingredient gives your soup its beautiful color, taste, and loads of nutritional value.
• Carrots: Carrots add even more nutritional content to your soup as they are a great source of beta-carotene.
• Italian Seasoning: Adding Italian seasoning gives your soup its basil flavor while adding touches of other herbs (like oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram) to make your soup wonderfully tasty. 
• Heavy Whipping Cream: Using heavy whipping cream will add a lot of richness and creaminess to your soup.

See the recipe card for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.

🔀 Substitutions

Fresh Tomatoes: If you’re out of fresh plum tomatoes, you can use canned whole or diced tomatoes as a substitute.

Italian Seasoning:  If you don’t have Italian seasoning, you may use the best substitutes for it, such as a homemade combination of fresh herbs like basil, parsley, oregano, sage, savory and thyme. You can also use Herbes de Provence, which can be considered a French version of Italian seasoning, if you have it in your pantry.

Heavy Whipping Cream: If you’re worried about calories and/or fat content, half-and-half can be used as a quick substitute for heavy whipping cream. 

🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins

Wondering how you can give this creamy tomato basil bisque a little twist? Here are some suggestions!

• Roast your fresh tomatoes. Using roasted tomatoes can give your soup an even more intense flavor, as roasting helps bring out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes.
• Add some cheese as garnish. Add some grated parmesan or mozzarella cheese on top before serving to add flavor and make your soup look even more appetizing.
• Make it spicy. Adding crushed red peppers or chili flakes can give it a little kick for those who want a little oomph in their soup!

If you need more recipes with plum tomatoes, you can also try these amazing Caprese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms that are just so scrumptious!

🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools

Aside from these ingredients, you’ll need the following to get the cooking job done in no time at all:

• Knife: Very useful for slicing, dicing, and mincing your vegetables.
• Cutting Board: This will help make slicing, dicing, and mincing your ingredients a lot easier since you will have a flat surface to do them on.
• Dutch oven: This is where the magic begins! Dutch ovens are perfect for any type of recipe that calls for slow cooking, simmering, braising, and, of course, making hearty, delicious soups.
• Immersion blender: Perfect hand blender that can turn your soup into a smooth and creamy bisque.
• (Optional) Blender: Useful tool for pureeing the soup if you don’t have an immersion blender.

🔪 How to Make Tomato Bisque Basil Soup

Once you’re ready with the ingredients and the tools needed, it’s time to get busy! Here are the quick and easy steps to make a deliciously creamy Tomato Bisque Basil Soup.

Step 1: Prepare the vegetables

Cut the onion into thin slices. Then, mince 2 cloves of garlic. Dice the celery, and also peel and dice your carrot.

Step 2:  Heat up the Dutch oven and add the vegetables

Put the Dutch oven on the stove, and set your stove to medium heat. Then, add the vegetables (tomatoes, onion, garlic, celery, and carrots) and combine them with the Italian seasoning. Allow the mixture to sweat for about 8 minutes while you stir occasionally.

Step 3: Add the liquid ingredients

Add white wine to deglaze the Dutch oven. Let it boil while scraping the bottom of the pan with a flat-ended wooden spoon. Simmer to reduce half the original amount of white wine, and then add the heavy whipping cream.

Step 4: Let It Simmer

Increase the heat to medium-high so the soup comes to a light boil. After that, reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 5: Puree the ingredients

Remove the Dutch oven from the heat, and then use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth.

Alternatively, if you don’t have an immersion blender, you may carefully transfer the soup to a regular blender. Allow it to cool for a bit before pureeing.

Step 6: Season, serve, and enjoy!

Season the soup with salt and pepper, then serve in hefty bowls for your family to enjoy.

👩‍🍳 Pro Tips

• If you want your soup to be chunky rather than smooth and silky, you can skip blending the ingredients altogether. After letting the soup simmer, add salt and pepper to the dish before serving the warm soup.
• When cooking this soup, avoid using pots made of metal such as aluminum, copper, and cast iron since they can react with the tomatoes and give your soup a bit of a metallic taste.
• If you think the soup tastes too acidic, then you can add a bit of sugar to balance it out.

❓ Recipe FAQs

🙏 Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Tomato Bisque Basil Soup:

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📋 Recipe