Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Soup
 
 
Serves: 6 main dish servings
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1½ cups chopped onion, about 2 onions
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 pounds tomatoes, coarsely chopped, about 5 large tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon natural cane sugar
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • ¼ cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¾ cup heavy cream or half and half
For Serving
  • 1 14-ounce package shaped pasta, cooked (fusilli, rotini, and cavatappi work well)
  • shredded mozzarella cheese
  • grated parmesan cheese
  • julienned fresh basil leaves
  • crushed red pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots. Cook until onions soften and become translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken or vegetable broth, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered until tomatoes are very soft, about 1 hour.
  2. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Alternatively, transfer the soup in batches to a blender to puree. (see note below) Stir in cream and warm over low heat until just hot.
  3. To serve, place a portion of the pasta in each bowl. Ladle soup over each. Sprinkle with a handful of mozzarella and a tablespoon of parmesan while soup is still hot. Garnish with julienned basil leaves and crushed red pepper.
Notes
soup adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics


Ina recommends using a food mill to strain out the skins and seeds. Since I don't own a food mill, I used an immersion blender instead and found this to be sufficient in achieving a smooth puree. The key is cooking the tomatoes long enough until they are very soft.
Recipe by at https://dev.gatheranddine.com/creamy-tomato-basil-pasta-soup/