Tomato soups are generally served as an appetizer in India at Indian restaurants and can be served warm or cold. Tomato soup is quite popular around the world and has different variations. This creamy tomato soup is our favorite family soup and is easy to make in a pressure cooker. Today I have prepared this dish in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT.
Ingredients for Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Tomatoes: use fresh, ripened, and juicy tomatoes for the best taste, flavor, and color in the soup. Roma tomatoes or Red Vine Tomatoes work best. You can also use canned fire-roasted or diced tomatoes. Vegetables: I used carrots, red bell pepper, onions, garlic. These veggies can be diced or finely chopped. Olive oil (or Butter): For the best flavor, use either olive oil (or unsalted butter). Vegetable broth (or water): use low-sodium vegetable broth to reduce salt content. If you don’t have one, you can use water. Basil: you can use either 2 teaspoons of dried basil or 2-3 tablespoons of fresh, roughly torn basil. Toppings: Fresh basil, Bread Croutons, Shredded Cheese – Parmesan, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Cream, or any combination of these.
How to Make the Best Tomato Soup in Instant Pot
Firstly, press SAUTE on the Instant Pot. Next, add Olive oil (or butter), and once it’s hot, add bay leaf and minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Next, add onions and saute until they soften. Then add carrots, red bell pepper, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth (water), black pepper powder, and salt. The carrot adds creamy texture, sweetness, and brings bright color to the dish. Red bell pepper adds a nice smoky flavor and color to the soup, but it’s optional. You can also use celery for this recipe. Close the lid securely, and turn the vent to “SEALING”. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL (High Pressure) setting and set the cooking time to 6 minutes. When the instant pot beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally before removing the lid. Remove the Bay leaf and puree the soup until smooth using an immersion blender. ( Or transfer the mixture to a high-speed blender in batches and puree until smooth). Then strain the puree using a fine mesh sieve and discard the residue, but this step is optional. Add dried basil, black pepper powder, heavy cream (or milk or half and a half), and stir well. It is entirely up to you which of these three you want to use; remember that the higher the fat content, the creamier the soup. Adjust seasoning at this stage. If you think the soup is too thick, you can add water or milk and simmer it for 2 minutes. Serve this Instant pot cream of tomato soup hot and top with bread croutons and a drizzle of heavy cream.
Stovetop Pot Method
Follow the same steps as above for Stovetop, instead of pressure cooking here, you can cover the pot and simmer until the tomatoes, and other vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes, and blend.
Serving Suggestions
Creamy Tomato soup makes a perfect Thanksgiving or Christmas Holiday appetizer or first course. Serve with:
Bread: Homemade bread like garlic bread, veg chili cheese toast, or focaccia. Salads: Pair this soup with a light salad like avocado cucumber salad, or mango bean salad. Sandwich: Pair with a grilled cheese sandwich, or spinach corn sandwich. Pasta: You can pair it with fettuccini aldredo, or mac and cheese.
Tips
Dice Veggies into the same size: Dice the tomatoes and other veggies roughly the same size (about 1-inch cubes) for even cooking. Saute the Aromatics: Be sure to sauté the aromatics, like onion and garlic, in a little olive oil or butter first, it will help to elevate the soup flavors. Canned Tomatoes: You can also use canned diced, or crushed tomatoes instead of fresh ones. Roasting Tomatoes: You can also roast the fresh tomatoes in the oven or air fryer before using them in the soup.
Variations
Extra Creamy Texture: For a richer, creamy tomato soup, I have added heavy cream to the soup. You can substitute it with cream cheese, sour cream, greek yogurt, or Parmesan cheese. Vegan: You can substitute heavy cream with coconut cream, full-fat coconut milk, or almond milk to make vegan tomato soup. Herbs: If you don’t have basil, try adding different dried or fresh herbs like Italian seasoning, thyme, chives, etc. Other Veggies: You can also add diced celery, and beetroot to this soup to make it extra nutritious.
Storage Suggestions
Make ahead: This soup is great for meal prepping. You can make it a day before and store it in the refrigerator. Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container. Freezer: Once soup cools down, transfer it into freezer-resistant containers or Ziploc freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months without adding the heavy cream/milk. Add dairy (cream or milk) just before serving. This is because soup with dairy does not freeze well. Reheat: Reheat the soup in a microwave oven or stovetop on medium-low heat until warmed through. If frozen, Defrost the soup in the fridge overnight, then reheat it on the stovetop or microwave until smooth again. Add the cream (or milk) just before serving, and adjust the seasonings as needed.
If you like the recipe, then check out more Tomato Recipes
Creamy Tomato Pasta Tomato Basil Pasta Tomato Chutney Tomato Rice using Coconut Milk
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