Hi foodies, I am so excited to share my next recipe with you all today! It's been raining here in Texas for last few days and one of my most favorite food to eat on the rainy days is warm and comforting soup. I absolutely love Tomato Bisque soup for any meal of the day but especially on those gloomy dull days. I feel so lazy on the rainy days that I want to minimize my time in the kitchen. This warm soup can be made with a very few ingredients from the pantry and doesn't require a lot of efforts. The simple yet hearty soup is easy to prepare and can be enjoyed as an appetizer, a side or a meal in itself!
So the first question that would arise in our mind is whether the Tomato Bisque soup is same as Tomato soup. The simple answer is No, these two are different. The Tomato Bisque has creamy, rich and velvety texture that is achieved by adding cream while the traditional Tomato soup doesn't use this key ingredient. The best part is you can make this soup vegan by just substituting the cream and butter with the full fat coconut milk and nut butter or oil, respectively. So anyone can enjoy this luscious soup without compromising on the texture.
My family devours this soup every time I make it, and trust me, I make it very often as I am one of the biggest fan of tomatoes. Growing up, me and my sister both were fond of tomatoes so much that my mom had to buy surplus tomatoes for us every time she gets groceries. We would gobble down tomatoes as if they were apples! Even now my grocery would always include tomatoes and if I don't have it on my list my husband would get them for me just in case...
Since tomatoes are the star ingredient for today's recipe, let me first share some health benefits of eating tomatoes. According to various sources, tomatoes are full of antioxidants from Vitamin C,
specifically lycopene, which helps reduce risks of heart disease and cancer. Tomatoes are also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, K1 and potassium. Vitamin A helps improve vision and skin while vitamin K is good for bones, and potassium helps control blood pressure. Also, tomatoes are low in calories and carbs and has almost zero fats!
So without further delay, let's get started with the recipe...
Tomato Bisque soup
Serves 4-6
Prepare time 10 minutes
Cook time 15-20 minutes
Additional notes/ Tips
- There are two different ways you can make this warm delicious soup. You can either make it in an electric cooker or in a pressure cooker. I have made the soup using electric cooker but I will share the recipe for both.
- You can use either fresh tomatoes or canned tomato puree. I have used canned tomato puree. If you are using fresh ripe tomatoes, then blanch them first by adding them to boiling water for about a minute. Run under cold water and peel the skin off. Next de-seed the tomatoes and dice them. This step requires additional 10 minutes.
- To reduce the amount of heavy cream, I have also added some soaked nuts. If you wish to go with just the cream, then double the cream quantity from the recipe.
- You can easily make this soup vegan by adding full fat coconut milk (canned) instead of heavy cream.
- Increase quantity of dried basil, if you don't have fresh sweet basil handy.
Ingredients
1 Can tomato puree or sauce (28 oz)
2 Medium carrots chopped
2 Sticks of celery chopped (optional)
1 Small or 1/2 Medium white onion chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil or butter
Handful of fresh sweet basil leaves (optional)
1/4 Tsp dried basil
1/4 Tsp thyme (optional)
1/4 Tsp dried oregano
1/2 Tsp black pepper powder
1/4 Cup heavy cream
Handful of soaked cashews or almonds (soak for at least 30-45 minutes prior)
2 Cups of water or vegetable stock
1 Tbsp honey or sugar
Salt to taste
Instructions
Heat up oil or butter in the electric cooker or pressure cooker.
Add chopped white onion and minced garlic. Saute for about a minute until raw smell of garlic is gone.
Add carrots and celery (optional), saute for 2 minutes until onions turn translucent.
Add Tomato puree or diced tomatoes, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried basil, salt, black pepper powder soaked nuts, and water or vegetable stock.
Stir well, close the lid of the cooker. Set the electric cooker on pressure cook at high pressure for 9 minutes. If you are using pressure cooker, cook it for about 15-20 minutes and 4-5 whistles.
Turn off the heat, and safely quick-release the pressure of the electric cooker. For traditional cooker, let the pressure release naturally.
Open the lid, stir in chopped sweet basil leaves, honey/sugar and heavy cream. Blend to a smooth puree using immersion blender.
Transfer soup to serving bowl and garnish with basil leaves and cream. Serve with toasted bread sticks.
