Say so-long to store bought soup with this Tomato Basil Soup with Pesto Ciabatta Croutons. Made simple by using canned tomatoes and made extra delicious with roasted garlic. A quick vegan recipe loaded with fresh flavors.
Is there anything better than a simple bowl of soup? Well...maybe a simple bowl of soup that tastes like a fancy bowl of soup. And maybe a simple bowl of soup that is homemade rather than store-bought. And possibly a simple bowl of soup that is topped with flavor-packed, homemade croutons.
While there are a lot of things that go into this bowl of soup, it's still one thing...simple.
For this soup I wanted to bring you something that had a combination of bright, fresh flavors, but wasn't super finicky or had ingredients that are hard to find. And I think we accomplished that.
The base of the soup is some good 'ol, super delicious, roasted garlic. If you have never roasted your own garlic, don't be intimidated. It is no harder than grabbing a head of garlic, a piece of foil and a splash of olive oil. Turn on your oven, put the garlic in the oven and sit back and relax, because you are pretty much a garlic roasting master.
The best part about roasting garlic is that you don't have to peel anything. Once the garlic is nicely roasted, the cloves will slip right out of their skin all on their own.
And don't get me started on the flavor...roasted garlic is so freaking tasty, you won't want to eat garlic any other way.
Now that we have developed the base of the soup, every other ingredient is just going to add to the flavor and create additional layers of deliciousness.
From the olive oil, onions, tomatoes and basil you will create a super simple soup from scratch that is so fresh, and so tasty, you'll wonder why you ever bought canned tomato soup.
To finish off your soup, add a dollop of fresh pesto and a handful of Pesto Ciabatta Croutons. These last toppings add a final layer of flavor that pushes this soup over the edge. This is going to be your go-to soup this spring!
Tomato Basil Soup with Pesto Ciabatta Croutons
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic
- 3 tablespoon olive oil separated
- 1 yellow onion roughly chopped
- 2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes unsalted
- 1 cup broth
- salt & pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes optional
- 2 cups fresh basil roughly chopped
- ¼ cup pesto
- 2 cups pesto ciabatta croutons*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut the top of the garlic head off so that all of the cloves are exposed. Place the garlic on a piece of foil and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over it. Firmly wrap foil around the garlic.
- Place the garlic in the oven** and roast for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Heat remaining olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Press garlic cloves out of their skins into the pot. Add onions and saute for 3 minutes (or until onions become translucent).
- Slowly pour tomatoes and broth into the pan and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and simmer for 10 minutes. Add basil to the pot.
- Working in batches, transfer soup to a blender*** and pulse until desired consistency is reached. Pour back into the pot and allow to continue cooking for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve soup with a dollop of pesto and a handful of pesto ciabatta croutons.
Notes
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Sean E
Tasty! Easy to follow recipe! I opted to cut the basil in 1/2 and it turned out great! Also, the pesto croutons are a hit!
Rene
Woo! So glad it was a hit - I love those croutons too 🙂
Eva
What kind of broth is used in this recipe? Tomato Basil Soup
Rene
You can use whatever you have on hand - veggie broth, vegan chicken broth.