Tomato Basil Bisque
Forget tomato soup from a can. Velvety smooth, tomato basil bisque from scratch is rich, creamy, comforting and bursting with delicious flavor.
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How many of you can remember having the chicken pox as a kid? Nowadays, there is a vaccine for that. It is one of those diseases that my kids will hopefully never know, that’s gone the way of polio and measles. But when I was eight years old back in the 1980s, there was no vaccine. I caught the chicken pox from a girl in my 3rd-grade class. I remember my mom giving me baking soda baths to help with the itching, laying on the couch in my pajamas watching endless hours of tv, and lots of tomato soup.
Granted, it was condensed tomato soup from a can. This was back in the day when my taste preferences leaned towards Chef Boyardee ravioli or cheese and butter sandwiches made from Kraft singles. A refined palette I did not possess. These were my comfort foods. However, I tried condensed tomato soup from a can as an adult recently and it just didn’t have the same appeal as I remember. It was bland. Too salty. And watery. There had to be a better bowl of tomato soup out there.
Ingredients and tools you will need
As a grown-up, canned tomato soup tastes like pureed tomatoes and salt. There is no complexity or depth of flavor. That’s easily remedied by tossing in a few herbs and vegetables. To make this tomato basil bisque recipe, you will need:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3/4 cup dry white wine – Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris will provide the best flavor. But since we’re only using ¾ of a cup, you might want to choose a wine that you wouldn’t mind drinking the rest of later. Just stay away from sweet wines like Moscato or Riesling.
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon dry ground mustard – This is not the same as yellow mustard from a bottle. Bottled mustard has vinegar added to it and will very much affect the flavor of the soup. If you don’t have dry mustard on hand, skip this ingredient.
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth – store-bought or check out this post on how to make your own homemade chicken stock.
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) crushed or diced tomatoes – you can also use 5-6 diced medium fresh tomatoes.
- One teaspoon dried basil leaves – or two teaspoons of chopped fresh basil leaves. Dried thyme can also be used.
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Large pot or large Dutch oven – I don’t advise using a cast iron Dutch oven for this recipe as the acid in the tomatoes can interact with the iron and give the soup a metallic flavor. An enamel-coated Dutch oven is perfectly fine.
- Blender or food processor – a regular blender is perfectly fine but an immersion blender allows you to puree the soup right in the pot.
How to Make Tomato Basil Bisque
- Melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion. Sauté the onion for two minutes.
- Add the garlic cloves and sauté for one minute more.
- Add the wine to the softened onions and garlic. Bring the wine to a boil and cook for about four minutes to allow the alcohol in the wine to burn off. Then reduce your temperature to low.
- Sprinkle in the flour and the ground mustard. Stir until it forms a paste, then cook for two minutes, stirring constantly, to get rid of the raw taste of the flour.
- Gradually add the chicken stock. Keep stirring to prevent lumps until the flour is dissolved into the chicken broth.
- Add the diced tomatoes, basil, tomato paste and sugar.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
How to achieve that velvety texture
When it comes to something like regular Tomato Basil Soup, I like the texture left a bit chunky. However, for the ultimate creamy tomato basil bisque, I want the texture to be as smooth as velvet. Puree the soup with a blender until no large chunks remain. But, we’re not stopping there. One more step …
If you have a fine mesh colander, strain the soup through that. I have one I got from the dollar store that I used for YEARS. Use the back of a wooden spoon to push as much as you can through, then discard anything that’s left. Bonus points if you have something called a food mill! It works as both a strainer and a masher. You force food through a perforated disk by turning a handle and it separates out the seeds, core and skin. It’s very useful for making applesauce, mashed potatoes with no lumps, and removing small seeds from berries for jam making. It’s also awesome for making tomato soup.
Once you’ve strained all the solids from the soup, return it back to the pot. Add the whole milk or heavy cream, then heat through on low. Season with salt and pepper to your preference. I like to serve mine with a gooey grilled cheese sandwich. You can also top the soup with shredded parmesan cheese, chopped fresh parsley or additional fresh basil leaves, or red pepper flakes for heat.
Storage, freezing and reheating instructions
Storage. Transfer the cooled leftover soup to an airtight container within two hours and store it in the refrigerator. Consume the soup within five days.
Freezing. For best results, only freeze tomato basil bisque without the cream added. Otherwise, the cream will separate once the frozen soup has thawed. Transfer the soup to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Be sure to leave a few inches at the top for expansion. Consume the homemade soup within three months. Thaw the soup before reheating.
Reheating. Pour the soup into a large saucepan and reheat over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until heated through. The soup can also be reheated in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. When microwaving I do recommend covering the soup with a napkin to prevent splatter.
Frequently asked questions
If you aren’t a wine drinker, you can totally leave it out. Just compensate by adding an additional ¾ cup of vegetable stock or chicken stock.
If you have a garden full of ripe red tomatoes, this is a great way to use them up! Pretty much any tomatoes can be used. If using Roma tomatoes, you will need to dice more than five or six tomatoes since they are smaller. Aim for two cups of diced Roma tomatoes. You can even use cherry tomatoes, but keep in mind that since cherry tomatoes are sweeter it may change the flavor of your soup.
Nope, blending and straining the soup will take care of any skins or seeds.
Replace the butter with extra virgin olive oil. Substitute the chicken stock with vegetable stock. Replace the heavy cream with nut milk, coconut milk, oat milk or soy milk.
No. It is not recommended to use thickeners, such as flour, in an Instant Pot as they can scorch.
You can, but since this soup only takes 15 minutes to prepare, it is actually more labor-intensive to make it in a slow cooker. Add everything to the slow cooker except the flour, chicken broth and cream. Cook on low for four hours or on high for two. Whisk the chicken broth and flour together to make a slurry. Thirty minutes before the end of cook time, stir in the slurry. When the time is up, turn the heat off the slow cooker and stir in the heavy cream
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Tomato Basil Bisque
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon dry ground mustard
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- 2 cans (15 oz. each) crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried basil or two teaspoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add the onions. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 1-3 additional minutes until the onion is softened.
- Add the wine and cook approximately 4-6 minutes. Decrease the heat to low.
- Stir in the flour and dry mustard. Cook for two minutes to get rid of the raw taste of the flour.
- Gradually add the chicken stock, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
- Add the tomatoes, basil, tomato paste and sugar.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for for 15 minutes.
- Puree the soup using a blender until smooth.
- At this point the soup can be eaten as is. However, for a creamier texture, strain the soup through a mesh colander or food mill. Discard the solids left in the colander. Return the soup to the pot.
- Add the cream and heat through.
- Season with salt and pepper to your preference.
That’s great! I’m so glad it was a success!
The soup was fabulous! My 5 year old loved it. However, I did make a couple of adaptations… first, I blended everything in my Vitamix, instead of straining it. Second, I added 1% milk instead of whole milk. It was velvety smooth! But, the soup recipe will be my go-to tomato soup recipe!
WOW. i can drown in this.!
I also love a good tomato soup.
This soup sounds perfect for fall!
This looks really really fantastic – nice recipes.
This looks fantastic! Can’t wait to try.
I have become such a soup lover lately so I really can’t wait to try this!
Now this looks cooks! wow
-grace