I was hoping for a creamy tomato basil soup recipe that would mimic the best TBS I’ve ever had from Cafe Europa in Charlottesville. In all my days of eating out in New York City and Los Angeles, I never found a TBS I liked as much. The following version came close, but there was still something missing. The search continues…
We don’t have a slow cooker, but the Dutch oven did the trick.
Here was my first stab (of many!) at finding the perfect homemade tomato basil soup. This version is from Tiffany at Creme de la Crumb. I think grilled cheese is always the perfect accompaniment to tomato soup, particularly on rustic bread with Vermont cheddar and avocado. Yum!
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
- 2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 1 10-ounce can tomato sauce
- ¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
Roux
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 cup heavy cream OR half & half
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and next 7 ingredients (through broth) to a slow cooker/crockpot. Cover and cook for 2 hours on high or 4-8 hours on low. (If you are home, give it a stir every now and then and scrape down the sides)
- About 30-40 minutes before serving transfer soup to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth, then return to crock pot.
- Prepare the roux. Begin by melting the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
- Add flour to melted butter and stir until flour clumps up. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream (or half & half) until mixture is thickened and smooth. Add roux and parmesan cheese to crockpot and stir to combine.
- Allow to cook another 20-30 minutes until cheese is completely melted. Give it a good stir before serving. Top with additional basil and parmesan cheese if desired.
Wine + Quill 
