This tomato basil bisque soup is absolute heaven.
I used to hate tomato soup. Actually I used to just hate tomatoes. Something strange happened to my taste buds when I turned 21. I wasn’t a huge fan of pickles, onions, or tomatoes unless they played a minor role in a dish. Now I don’t think I’d be able to live without those things. I once heard that your taste buds change every 7 years. As long as they change for the better, I’m ok with that. I’m still waiting to like olives.
I really love tomato basil bisque for two reasons. One, the heavy cream balances out the acidity from the tomatoes. And two, it tastes amazing with grilled cheese. And grilled cheese is one of those foods that is so simple, if you use quality ingredients they really shine through.
Tomato Basil Bisque Soup Tips for Success
I used to use crushed tomatoes for this tomato basil bisque soup. But no more! San Marzano tomatoes are an excellent quality of tomatoes and they are only sold whole. After I open the can but before I pour the contents out, I cut up the tomatoes with kitchen shears. Now they can dissipate throughout the soup more easily.
An immersion blender comes in handy for this recipe. It’s perfect for pureeing without having to transfer the soup to a blender. But if you don’t have an immersion blender handy, please wait for the soup to cool a bit before blending. The steam causes a pressure build-up in the blender, and your soup will explode all over your kitchen. Exploding soup is sad soup.
Garnishing with fresh basil and serving with grilled cheese makes this the perfect comfort food.
Want to try some other soups? Check out some of my favorites:
Tomato Basil Bisque Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 6 cups chicken stock, divided
- 2 28-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes*
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Open the can of tomatoes but do not remove the contents yet. Using kitchen shears, cut the whole tomatoes into smaller pieces. It’s ok if you don’t completely shred them, about 10 chops should do.
- In a large stockpot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 10 minutes. Sprinkle kosher salt on the onions about 2 minutes into cooking.
- In the same pot, melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the melted butter and whisk quickly until dissolved to make a roux. Continue to whisk constantly for about 1 more minute until the roux starts to smell nutty and the raw flour smell is gone.
- Add about 1/2 cup of the chicken stock, continuing to whisk vigorously for a few seconds. Add another 1/2 cup of stock. Whisk until mixture is uniform. Keep adding stock by the half cup until you've reached a point where the roux fully has mixed into the liquid and doesn't need anymore whisking.
- Add any remaining stock, tomatoes and all of the juices, parsley, dill, oregano, and sugar, kosher salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Using an immersion blender or regular blender, puree the soup until smooth. If using a regular blender, wait for the soup to cool a bit before blending, or else you will have an explosion. Not that that’s ever happened to me.
- Return to a gentle simmer. Add the heavy cream. Serve with basil on top.