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This is a perfect recipe to make when you have bought too many tomatoes at the market and they are starting to show their age.
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
1
2
3
⅓
3
Preparation
Step 1
Pluck basil leaves from stems. Place stems and any larger or not-so-beautiful leaves in a large saucepan along with 2 or 3 larger garlic cloves; cover with 3 cups water. Set aside remaining smaller, prettier basil leaves. Cut Parmesan away from rind and add rind to pan; set cheese aside. Bring liquid to a bare simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat so mixture is steaming. Let ingredients steep while you start the soup.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 375° (if you have a toaster oven, use it). Spread out 1 cup bread on a small rimmed baking sheet, drizzle lightly with oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Toast until edges are crisp but centers are still chewy, 8–10 minutes; set croutons aside.
Step 3
Meanwhile, slice remaining garlic cloves. Heat ⅓ cup oil in a medium pot over medium and cook garlic, stirring occasionally, until evenly golden brown and softened, about 2 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes to pot and cook, stirring energetically with a wooden spoon now and then, until tomato juices are bubbling, 6–8 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, then add remaining 3 cups bread. Stir to coat, then strain basil stock into tomato mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook, whisking occasionally, until bread disintegrates into a porridgelike texture and soup is velvety and thick, 10–12 minutes. (The whisk helps break the bread into smaller pieces; if you like your soup rustic, stick with the spoon. If you want it to be very smooth, use an immersion blender.)
Step 4
Finely grate reserved Parmesan and whisk half into soup along with reserved basil. Cook, stirring, until soup is thickened and looks shiny, about 2 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.
Step 5
Divide soup among bowls and top with reserved croutons, remaining Parmesan, and a drizzle of oil.
Leave a Review
Reviews (2)
Back to Topsuch an underrated tomato soup recipe from BA! I’m a baker who ends up with a lot of extra bread on my hands, and my roommate that I often cook for is lactose intolerant. it’s like this recipe was made for us lol. I always have canned tomatoes on hand, which work perfectly well instead of fresh if that’s what you have available. yaaaay sopa
Lucy TA
St Paul, Minnesota
9/27/2023
I have to say, I was really skeptical once I realized (only after buying the ingredients) that there was no cream and the tomatoes weren't roasted beforehand. However, this soup really blew me away and I will definitely be making it instead of the more traditional creamy tomato soup from now on. Simple ingredients and flavors achieve alot of depth, and the basil stock is a fantastic touch.
Morgan
Germany
7/11/2023
I was absolutely stunned at how wonderful this soup turned out. I had to use up tomatoes from the garden and figured I'd give this a try. This will now be in my regular soup rotation. Excellent!
Allie Oz
9/16/2019
lovely riceta
ritaISABELrodrgiuezJORGES
spain
1/14/2019