Crazy Easy Tomato Basil Soup… no other way to say it. It literally takes 10 minutes to make this delicious tomato soup. The secret ingredient is Campbell’s canned Tomato Soup Concentrate! It adds the perfect creamy base.
Toast up some homemade croutons in the oven and grill up a grilled cheese and you have a crazy delicious dinner!
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This Recipe Is…
- Said it before and I’ll say it again…crazy easy!
- deliciously creamy and full of basil flavor.
- a perfect weeknight dinner.
- a delicious compliment to a grilled cheese.
- balanced in all flavors- sweet, tangy and savory.
- a great way to “fancy up” a can of tomato soup.
Pantry Version!
There is a similar version of this Tomato Basil Soup recipe on Mom’s Dinner… however this one is made completely with shelf stable ingredients. Making it perfect for camping. It is called 5 minute Tomato Basil Pantry Soup.
Tomato Basil Soup Ingredients
Pictured below are the ingredients that you need to make this super simple Tomato Basil Soup, plus some tips on a few ingredients:
Dried Basil – make sure your dried basil is fresh and full of flavor (dried herbs have a shelf life of about 2 years). Rub the basil in the palm of your hand before adding it to the soup, it will release the oils and flavor.
Milk/Cream – I definitely recommend using whole milk or half and half, or a combo of the two, for your Tomato Basil Soup. It will make it creamy and rich.
Tomato Basil Marinara – Use a quality marinara sauce that has a pronounced basil flavor. We love Rao’s Tomato Basil Marinara.
Secret Soup Ingredient
The secret ingredient, making this such an EASY recipe, is the condensed tomato soup (just like in these Ham Balls!). It adds the perfect tomato base that is creamy, thick and a little sweet.
I prefer Campbell’s brand and have only tested this recipe with Campbell’s. Sometimes the store brand soup concentrates can be a little “off”.
Homemade Garlic Crouton Ingredients
Pictured are the ingredients you need to make Homemade Garlic Croutons. These do NOT need to be fancy croutons, they just need to be delicious to enhance your Tomato Basil soup eating experience.
Bread – I have used everything from day old hoagie rolls to hamburger buns to ciabatta bread… they all work! Use whatever you have in your pantry.
Step by Step Picture Instructions
There are not a ton of instructions!
Simply place a pot over low heat. Add the tomato soup, milk/cream, dried basil, garlic powder, and onion powder. Give it a really good whisk to combine.
PRO TIP: lightly crush the dried basil in the palm of your hand before adding to the soup. It releases the oil and flavors! This goes for the soup and the croutons.
Let it heat through stirring occasionally.
While the soup cooks, make the croutons.
Heat the oven to 400. Cube the bread and place on a baking sheet.
Toss the bread cubes with olive oil and then sprinkle on the seasonings, making sure they stick to the bread.
Pop in the oven for 5 minutes, toss and bake for another 5 minutes, until they are golden and crispy, but not burnt.
Serving
Serve hot bowls of Tomato Basil Soup topped with garlic croutons. Optionally you can sprinkle on some grated parmesan cheese and dried basil or parsley.
Of course, any tomato soup goes great with a side of grilled cheese!
Storing
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Keep the croutons in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temp.
The soup reheats PERFECTLY in the microwave!
More Incredible Soup Recipes to Try
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Did you make this recipe?
I would love to hear your review, especially if you have tips and tricks to add! Pop down to the comment section and connect with me
Crazy Easy Tomato Basil Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 (10 oz) cans condensed tomato soup - prefer Campbell's
- 20 oz whole milk - ** see notes
- 1 cup favorited jarred Tomato Basil Marinara - we highly recommend Rao's
- 2 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon each: garlic powder & onion powder
Homemade Garlic Croutons
- 3 cups thick cut bread - cubed (see notes)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Optional Soup Garnish
- grated parmesan cheese, fresh or dried basil, and/or red pepper flakes
Instructions
Easy Tomato Basil Soup
- Whisk all the ingredients together in a large sauce pan over low heat. Heat through for about 5-10 minutes. Stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn on the bottom. PRO TIP- lightly crush the dried basil in the palm of your hand before adding to the soup. It will enhance the flavor and release the oils.
Homemade Garlic Croutons
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Place the cubed bread on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss the bread with all the olive oil to coat. Sprinkle on all the herbs & seasonings.
- Roast for 5 minutes. Toss. Then roast another 5-8 minutes, until golden and crispy, but not burnt.
Serving
- Serve the soup hot topped with croutons, grated parmesan cheese, fresh or dried basil, and/or red pepper flakes.
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Rosemary
Very easy and delicious. I’ve made tomato soup from scratch and this was very comparable. Tomato soup has always been a classic comfort food to me since childhood. So happy to have found this great recipe!
Susie Weinrich
Excellent! I love a big flavor pay-off with not a lot of work involved.
Charlie Holcomb
I have made several recipes of tomato basil soup from “scratch” using an immersion blender to puree the tomatoes. We love tomato basil soup at La Madeleine and most recently at Tatte’ Bakery in Washington, D.C. This recipe was very close to each and made in a snap. We used 2% milk to cut the fat, and was still was very good. If we had used half-and-half, I am sure that it would have been just like what we like in restaurants. I used Rao’s tomato basil marinara because I had it on hand, but I feel that any other good, much less expensive marinaras would have been just as good – as basil is so pungent a flavor along with the tomato. We ate it last night and again at lunch today. It was even better being reheated, maybe due to the basil further permeating the soup. With a small Caesar salad and a wedge of cheese toast – it hit the spot!
Susie Weinrich
Love this!!! High praise that this is a restaurant quality recipe. Totally agree pairing this Tomato Basil Soup with a Caesar and cheese toast is the perfect dinner or lunch. Cheers!