Fresh tomatoes, vegetables, and herbs come together in your instant pot for delicious, nutritious homemade Tomato Soup. Warming, comforting soup ready in 30 minutes! Makes 4-6 servings.
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Welcome to My Kitchen Serenity! I’m excited to share with you this easy, garden fresh Tomato Basil Soup Recipe. It’s cooked in an Instant Pot, so you don’t have to wait very long to enjoy a hot bowl of homemade tomato soup. Tomato soup is one of those year-round soups that’s always a good, healthy choice.
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Have you purchased an Instant Pot, yet? If not, what are you waiting for? This magnificent kitchen appliance creates delicious meals in record time without sacrificing flavor or tenderness. Meals taste like they’ve been simmering on the stove for hours. This instant pot soup recipe is a perfect example. Please be sure to check out the additional information at the bottom of this post about Instant Pots.
Nothing warms you up like a delicious bowl of tomato soup. Fall and winter are usually the most popular times to eat soup. It’s also more common to eat stews and gumbo in the fall and winter. Check out this comforting beef stew recipe on my site. It’s Paula Deen’s beef stew recipe that I was proud to make and feature on my site. In the not so far future, I’ll be working on a seafood gumbo recipe! It’s a recipe passed down from one of my cajun grandmothers and it’s spectacular!
Ingredients for Tomato Basil Soup
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 large stalk celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 c. chicken or vegetable stock, preferably organic*
3 lbs. fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
½ c. fresh basil leaves, julienned (+ extra for garnish)
*Add additional chicken or vegetable stock to achieve the desired consistency.
Directions to Make Instant Pot Tomato Basil Soup
STEP 1: Select the “Sauté” function on the Instant Pot and add olive oil once hot. Add onion, celery, and carrots and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and vegetables develop some color, approximately 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
STEP 2: Pour in stock and deglaze the bottom of the pot, gently scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon in the process. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes before turning the unit off.
STEP 3: Add tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary, and stir to combine. Add lid and lock into place. Position the vent to “Sealing” and set the “Manual” setting to 4 minutes.
STEP 4: When cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure. Remove lid and stir in fresh basil leaves.
STEP 5: Carefully transfer tomato mixture to a food processor or high-powered blender and process until smooth. (For chunkier results, use an immersion blender instead).
STEP 6: To serve, transfer soup to individual bowls while still hot and garnish with additional fresh basil, if desired. Enjoy!
What Goes Well with Tomato Soup?
Besides the obvious, a grilled cheese sandwich or saltine crackers, there are many foods that go well with tomato soup!
- Baked potatoes are great served alongside tomato soup. Take a baking potato and wash it. Pierce it several times with a fork. Place inside the microwave and cook for 5 minutes. Flip it, and cook for another 5 minutes. That’s one hot potato, so be careful handling it!
- Soup and salad are always a favorite pairing. For a special touch, add some cooked shrimp to your lettuce blend and top with a light balsamic vinegarette.
- Cornbread is a perfect companion for tomato soup! Check out my Mexican Cornbread recipe! Easy and cheesy!
- Garlic bread or biscuits are more of our favorite things to eat with tomato soup. Both can be found in the freezer section of the grocery store and oh so easy to prepare!
- Top with croutons and or parmesan cheese, if desired.
What is an Instant Pot?
Instant pots aren’t a new thing, per se. I remember my mother using a pressure cooker many times back in the 70s! She would cook stew meat in the pressure cooker and it would come out super tender in only a matter of minutes versus baking in the oven or on the stove for hours. After all, she had a 4-kid family to feed and worked full time. Her time was valuable, to say the least. Thank goodness they’ve “reinvented” the old-time pressure cooker with the ever to popular Instant Pot!
What’s the Best Instant Pot?
With so many brands of “instant pots” on the market now, how does one choose which one to purchase? Sometimes you can get away with purchasing the least expensive item on the shelf and it all works out fine, no problem. But for an instant pot, the safety features have to be of utmost importance; therefore, I would recommend sticking with a tried-and-true original. The Instant Pot brand has a minimum of 10 safety features. Let’s face it, you don’t want any mishaps when cooking food under such high pressure! Flashback to my childhood: the top of our pressure cooker flew off under the pressure; there was food for days on the kitchen ceiling!! Having said that, you just can’t go wrong with the Original Instant Pot! It’s more than just a pressure cooker. It has 6 different uses: pressure cooker, rice cooker, and yes, even a slow cooker. You can steam, saute, and warm up food!
Fresh tomatoes, vegetables, and herbs come together in your instant pot for delicious nutritious homemade Tomato Basil Soup. Ready in 30 minutes! Makes 4-6 servings.
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock, preferably organic*
- 3 lbs fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1/2 cup ½ c. fresh basil leaves, julienned (+ extra for garnish)
- *Add additional chicken or vegetable stock to achieve the desired consistency
Select the “Sauté” function on the Instant Pot and add olive oil once hot. Add onion, celery, and carrots and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and vegetables develop some color, approximately 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
Pour in stock and deglaze the bottom of the pot, gently scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon in the process. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes before turning the unit off.
Add tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary, and stir to combine. Add lid and lock into place. Position the vent to “Sealing” and set the “Manual” setting to 4 minutes.
When cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure. Remove lid and stir in fresh basil leaves.
Carefully transfer tomato mixture to a food processor or high-powered blender and process until smooth. (For chunkier results, use an immersion blender instead).
To serve, transfer soup to individual bowls while still hot and garnish with additional fresh basil, if desired.
What Goes Well with Tomato Soup?
Besides the obvious, a grilled cheese sandwich or saltine crackers, there are many foods that go well with tomato soup!
- Baked potatoes are great served alongside tomato soup. Take a baking potato and wash it. Pierce it several times with a fork. Place inside the microwave and cook for 5 minutes. Flip it, and cook for another 5 minutes. That's one hot potato, so be careful handling it!
- Soup and salad are always a favorite pairing. For a special touch, add some cooked shrimp to your lettuce blend and top with a light balsamic vinegarette.
- Cornbread is a perfect companion for tomato soup! Check out my Mexican Cornbread recipe! Easy and cheesy!
- Garlic bread or biscuits are more of our favorite things to eat with tomato soup. Both can be found in the freezer section of the grocery store and oh so easy to prepare!
- Top with croutons and or parmesan cheese, if desired.
CAN YOU FREEZE TOMATO SOUP?
Yes, this soup freezes well. Allow the soup to completely cool off. Then place into a freezer container or sealable plastic freezer bag (write the date on the bag so you can easily remember it). Frozen tomato soup will stay fresh for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge the day before you plan to eat if. Reheat in a pot on the stove or in the microwave.
HOW LONG WILL TOMATO SOUP LAST IN THE FRIDGE?
Tomato soup will stay fresh for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Store it in airtight containers. I like to use BPA-free glass containers with locking lids. Check out this 20-piece set of glass food storage containers with locking lids. These containers are great for meal prep, too!
If you try this recipe, leave me a comment! I’d love to hear from you.
Here are a few more comfort meals you may want to try:
Paul Deen’s Old-Time Beef Stew
Juicy Meatloaf with a touch of Smoked Hickory
Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Red Beans and Rice with Smoked Sausage
