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Home / Healthy Recipes

15 Minute Tomato Basil Soup with Pesto

5
/5
15 minutes
18 Comments
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By: The Chunky Chefpublished: 06/19/2018

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This tomato basil soup takes only 15 minutes to make, yet is positively bursting with flavors you’d expect from a soup that’s been simmering all day!

This tomato basil soup takes only 15 minutes to make, yet is positively bursting with flavors you'd expect from a soup that's been simmering all day! #tomatosoup #tomatobasil #healthyeating #15minmeal #weightwatchers #smartpoints

Perfect for a busy weeknight, you’ll love the flavors of this tomato bail soup!  Ready in just 15 minutes, it’s great when you have minimal time and minimal energy!

Let me know if this sounds familiar.  You’re trying to eat healthier, and being smart about what you put into your body… but there’s one thing you’re always short on.  TIME.  After working a long day at the office (or a long day caring for the kids), dinner rolls around and you have barely any time to cook.  You don’t want to eat take-out… so now what?

Here’s a fantastic solution… this mouthwatering tomato basil soup!  It’s literally ready in 15 minutes.  That’s right, 15!

Normally, I like to let soups simmer away for at least 30 minutes (or even better, in a slow cooker all day!), so when I saw this recipe, I was leery of the quick cooking time.

After just one bite, I was amazed.  The flavors were deep, rich, and absolutely fantastic!!  If I hadn’t known better, I would think the soup cooked for hours!

WHAT TO EAT WITH TOMATO BASIL SOUP?

Firstly, I love a good soup/salad combo… so I would have a green salad alongside a bowl of this tomato basil soup.  Also, you really can’t go wrong with a grilled cheese.  But those can be pretty high in points.  This recipe is fairly low in points, especially when you make it into “croutons”.

  • Make the grilled cheese, then cut into small squares.  I like to cut it into 16 pieces (four vertical cuts and four horizontal cuts), then add 5-6 pieces on top of the soup like croutons or oyster crackers.

Tomato basil soup in white bowl with drizzle of pesto and cream

CAN I MAKE THIS TOMATO BASIL SOUP WITH FRESH TOMATOES?

Great question!!  Fresh tomatoes are amazing, especially in the summer!  It will take some tweaking, and a little bit longer cooking time, but here’s what I would do:

  • Keep all ingredients the same, except substitute the 2 cans of diced tomatoes with 8-10 fresh tomatoes, chopped.  Add the broth, chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil, then simmer for 20-35 minutes, until tomatoes are very soft.  Continue with the recipe and puree the soup as directed.

Spoonful of tomato soup with basil

I really love the pesto drizzle on top of the soup.  Even if you’re not a huge pesto fan, give it a try!  The optional swirl of extra half and half is great too, but not necessary if you’re worried about adding any additional calories or points.

The next time you’re looking for a quick meal that also tastes absolutely incredible, give this tomato basil soup a try!

HELPFUL TOOLS

  • Dutch Oven – I love to cook soups in my enameled dutch ovens… even cooking and it heats up quickly!
  • Immersion Blender – No need to transfer hot soup to a blender if you have one of these inexpensive tools!

Want to try this Tomato Basil Soup?

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Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!

This tomato basil soup takes only 15 minutes to make, yet is positively bursting with flavors you'd expect from a soup that's been simmering all day!

15 Minute Tomato Basil Soup with Pesto

5 from 7 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Calories: 64
Servings: 6 servings (approximately 1 cup per serving)
(hover over # to adjust)
Print Rate Pin
This healthy tomato basil soup takes only 15 minutes to make, yet is bursting with flavors you'd expect from a soup that's been simmering all day!

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 (15 oz each) cans no salt added fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 cup fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • pinch black pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup half and half
  • 2 Tbsp basil pesto (pre-made)

Instructions

  • In a soup pot or large saucepan, add olive oil and heat over MED/MED-HIGH heat. Add diced onion and cook 4 minutes, until softened and slightly browned.  Add garlic and cook about a minute.
  • Add cans of tomatoes, broth, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat to low and stir in chopped basil and vinegar.
  • Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth (or until your desired consistency). Alternatively, add soup to blender (removing the center piece to allow steam to escape, and covering the opening with a kitchen towel), and blend until smooth. Transfer soup from blender back to the soup pot.
  • Stir in half and half and let heat through. Ladle into serving bowls and swirl in approximately 1 tsp of pesto and an optional tsp of half and half and garnish with additional basil if desired.

Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!

Chef Tips

Recipe from Weight Watchers magazine (Five Ingredient 15 Minute Recipes)

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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This tomato basil soup takes only 15 minutes to make, yet is positively bursting with flavors you'd expect from a soup that's been simmering all day! #tomatosoup #tomatobasil #healthyeating #15minmeal #weightwatchers #smartpoints

Calories: 64 | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 303mg | Potassium: 51mg | Sugar: 1g | Fiber: 0g | Vitamin A: 3.8% | Vitamin C: 2.2% | Calcium: 2.6% | Iron: 0.7%

I’m not a nutritionist, and nutritional values here on my recipes should be used for general information purposes only.  This information is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before starting a new diet and fitness regimen.

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Meet The Chunky Chef

Hey there! I'm Amanda. Wife, mother, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that delicious meals should be easy to make. Now that you’re here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let’s get cookin’!

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Recipe Rating




  1. Joan DECARO says

    Posted on 12/2 at 4:24 pm

    Fabulous recipe, great with grilled cheese

    Reply
  2. Freda says

    Posted on 10/11 at 6:14 pm

    Easy and delicious.

    Reply
  3. Freda says

    Posted on 5/2 at 12:33 pm

    Excellent! Make several times a month.

    Reply
  4. Brenda says

    Posted on 3/1 at 1:48 pm

    This is delicious!
    What is 1 serving? 1 cup?

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      Posted on 3/1 at 9:25 pm

      So glad you loved it! Yes, approximately 1 cup 🙂

      Reply
  5. B Brown says

    Posted on 1/7 at 9:47 am

    I was a little reluctant to make this, but I’m so glad I did. It really came together quickly, with very few ingredients. I admit I added more garlic and basil and, since I had no half and half, I used cream.
    Tomato Basil soup is one of my favorites, so I’ll be making this more often.

    Reply
  6. Monica Rachwal says

    Posted on 11/16 at 6:28 pm

    I love this recipe!   But what can you do if you don’t have fresh basil?   Can you use dried basil leaves and how much would you use?
    Thank you!

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 11/17 at 9:32 pm

      I’ve only tested this recipe as written, but I think dried basil would be okay. I would use about 2 tsp of dried basil.

      Reply
  7. Lena Pierce says

    Posted on 3/4 at 1:17 pm

    Super easy to make and is absolutely delicious!! I will be making this soup again soon!!!!!

    Reply
  8. Krista says

    Posted on 6/22 at 12:03 pm

    I love tomato basil anything! I have to make this!

    Reply
  9. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

    Posted on 6/22 at 1:41 am

    So hungry for this!

    Reply
  10. Amy @ Little Dairy on the Prairie says

    Posted on 6/21 at 3:58 pm

    What a great soup to pair with a grilled cheese! YUM!

    Reply
  11. Katerina @ diethood .com says

    Posted on 6/21 at 9:52 am

    Light, healthy and incredibly delicious!! This is my kind of soup!! Aaaand I LOVE basil!!

    Reply
  12. I Heart Naptime says

    Posted on 6/20 at 10:56 am

    Looks super easy and delicious! Yum!

    Reply
  13. Nicki says

    Posted on 6/20 at 10:23 am

    Hi! I always love your recipes! I’m just a little confused on the ingredients section of this recipe for the cans of tomatoes. It says 1 (15 oz each) cans, but one states one kind of tomatoes. One can didn’t seem like enough to make the 6 servings, so I wanted to check. Thanks!!!

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 6/20 at 7:48 pm

      Hi Nicki! Oh goodness, I saved the recipe last night as 2 cans, but it must not have stuck. It’s two 15 oz cans 🙂 I’ll see if I can make it stick this time lol.

      Reply
      • Nicki says

        Posted on 6/21 at 10:42 am

        Thank you so much for the correction! Can’t wait to try this recipe out this weekend!

        Reply
  14. TidyMom says

    Posted on 6/20 at 9:45 am

    One of my favorite soups! I can eat tomato soup all year long. Can’t wait to try this quick recipe

    Reply

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