There’s something extra comforting about a warm bowl of homemade Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with a gooey grilled cheese sandwich – the only thing better is when it’s made in a fraction of the time in your Instant Pot!
I am so amped up for vacation and the change in weather (that actually seems to be sticking) that I’ve lost my mind and given in to the soup monster.
Normally, I’m not a soup person.
The number of soup recipes on this 4-year-old blog is pretty good evidence.
I usually reserve my limited number of soup cravings to sick days.
Comfort food reasons, of course.
A bowl of roasted tomato basil soup, though. There’s never a bad time for that since, in our house at least, it comes with required grilled cheese sandwiches.
This page includes step by step instructions, as well as tips and notes. If you’d like to skip all that, feel free to scroll down to the full, printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
If I’m being totally honest with you, soups are really just a vessel for their sides.
As an adult, having a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner seems pretty juvenile. When you pair it with a bowl of thick and creamy tomato soup? Suddenly, it’s a gourmet meal.
Especially if you jazz up your sandwiches! If you like the idea of soup for brunch, try pairing this with my fully loaded Havarti Breakfast Grilled Cheese Sandwich. For those who strictly eat soup in the later hours, add even more tomato-ey goodness and whip up a Mozzarella Cheese Sandwich (the arugula pesto is non-negotiable!)
The secret to a really over-the-top delish tomato soup is in how you prepare your tomatoes.
Tips & Tricks & How to Roast Tomatoes:
- Time, Love, & Temperature. In an attempt to keep this recipe on the quicker side, I opted to roast my tomatoes at a high temp for a shorter time. If you have more time and are craving an even better tomato flavor, lower that heat and roast away! 45 minutes at 400 degrees F or 2 hours at 325 degrees F – either will get you tasty tomatoes.
- To Poke Or Not To Poke? Sometimes, when tomatoes are super plump, roasting equals pools of liquid (aka steamed vs. caramelized). Poking them a few times through their skin helps that flavorless juice leak out while keeping the sugary goodness where it belongs.
- Fo’ Drizzle. Avocado oil is the oil of choice in our kitchen, but when it comes to Italian cooking, olive oil is the way to go. For recipes like this, we love to use artisanal flavored olive oils – basil, rosemary, and even truffle oil would add spectacular flavor to this soup.
- Seasoning In The Sun. Salt and pepper are obvious, but how else to flavor up these tomatoes pre-soup? Garlic and onion powder, dried herbs, and a sprinkle of cheese in the last few minutes are good opitons.
- Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch. An optional ingredient here is sugar, though you’ll find it in plenty of tomato-based recipes. Sugar has a habit of bringing balance to dishes using acidic tomatoes. When tomatoes are abundant and in season in the summer, using sugar has less appeal since the fruit is already sun-sweet. In cooler weather, when soup makes more sense but the tomatoes aren’t as easily ripened, sugar helps with caramelization in the oven.
- Skin-On or Skin-Off? This is a personal preference, as is seeding the tomatoes. It all gets pretty pulverized when you puree the final product, but if you plan to leave some chunky texture, ditching the skins isn’t a bad idea.
How To Make Instant Pot Tomato Soup:
- First, roast the tomatoes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Poke holes in the roma tomatoes, cut them in half, and place them cut side-up on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season to taste, sprinkling on some sugar if they’re out of season. Roast the tomatoes for 45-60 minutes until they’re soft and caramelized.
- After the tomatoes are roasted, press the Saute button on your Instant Pot. Heat oil and cook onion until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Next, deglaze the pot with some chicken broth, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Press the Cancel button.
- Now, add the remaining chicken broth, roasted tomatoes, and herbs. Close the lid and cook on Manual High Pressure for 3 minutes. Press Cancel and allow a 10 minute Natural Release.
- Carefully remove the lid. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to your favorite consistency (reserving a cup or so before blending if you like it chunky).
- Finally, stir in heavy cream and butter, if you’d like. Season as needed with additional salt and sugar.
- Serve garnished with shaved parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and a crack of black pepper.
Can I Make This Tomato Basil Soup On My Stovetop?
Obviously, replace anything that says Instant Pot with a large Dutch oven.
After you deglaze the pot, add the tomatoes and herbs and simmer everything together in a closed pot over medium heat for 15- 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the rest of the broth, then allow it to cool for 10 minutes before blending in the cream and butter and seasoning to taste.
Can Tomato Basil Soup Be Frozen?
When you’re ready to eat, thaw and heat the soup on the stovetop, stirring in the cream and butter as it warms. Season to taste if needed.
LOOKING FOR MORE SOUP RECIPES?
HOW ABOUT A FEW MORE INSTANT POT RECIPES?
HELPFUL KITCHEN TOOLS FOR MAKING INSTANT POT TOMATO BASIL SOUP:
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Instant Pot Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
Ingredients
- 3 pounds roma tomatoes cut in half lengthwise
- ¼ cup olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper divided
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (optional)
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 3 cups fresh basil leaves loosely packed, plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ cup heavy cream (optional)
- 2 tablespoons butter (optional)
- Shaved Parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place tomatoes in a single layer, cut side up, on the sheet. Poke a couple of hole through the skin of each tomato with a toothpick or wooden skewer. Drizzle them with oil and season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle sugar on the tomatoes, if desired (this helps flavor when they’re out of season). Place in the oven and roast 45-60 minutes. When slightly cooled, peel skins off if desired.
- Press Saute on your Instant Pot and heat 1 tablespoon oil. Brown the onions for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add garlic, tomato paste, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and red pepper flakes. Sauté for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in ½ cup of chicken stock. Deglaze the pot, scraping the browned bits off bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
- Add roasted tomatoes & their juices, basil, thyme, and remaining chicken stock. Close the lid and cook at High Pressure for 3 minutes. Press Cancel and allow a 10 minute Natural Release. Open the lid carefully.
- Use an immersion blender (or a regular blender) to blend the soup to your desired consistency. Add ½ cup heavy cream and butter, if desired. Taste the soup and season as needed with salt and sugar.
- Garnish with Parmesan, fresh basil, and a crack of black pepper and serve.
Julie says
That is one beautiful bowl of soup that has me drooling just thinking of it. Roasting the tomatoes is a genius idea that would definitely add a delicious layer of flavor. My instant pot would be honored to have such an amazing recipe in it! I can’t wait to try it! Can I give it 10 stars?
Linda says
What a great recipe! I love tomato basil soup and often make it at home. I bought a new Instant Pot several months ago and have yet to use it. Now I know what I’m going to try first. 🙂 Btw, love your pics!
Diana Lopes says
This recipe looks amazing! I love instant pot recipes, can’t wait to try this!
Logan Tippett says
Just made it..I love how you can prep everything else while the tomatoes are roasting (roasted a whole head of garlic too) 😉 . I didn’t have parchment paper so oiled my foil really well and the tomatoes. Didn’t have 3 cups of basil so used dried basil and fresh. YALL…….. …. …… SO MUCH FLAVOR. Spice cream tomato everything about this is 10 stars. Thanks a bunch for a lifelong tomato soup ❤️
Karen Lock says
I’ve made this soup twice now and absolutely love it. Roasting the tomatoes is the key to this recipe. After roasting I do remove the skin. I do heavily roast the tomatoes also. I use unsweetened almond milk instead of heavy cream and I omit the cheese.. this is strictly for calorie count for my needs right now. I love this soup.
Dawn says
Best tomato soup I’ve ever made and ever eaten. The flavor is unbeatable. I recently bought tomato soup at my grocery deli. Both my husband and I commented on how it wasn’t even close to as good as this recipe. Highly recommend.