Homemade Tomato Soup with Basil in an Instant Pot

A recipe for Instant Pot creamy tomato basil soup. Rich, delicious and full of flavor. Easy preparation and only a few simple ingredients, perfect for the Instant Pot.

An Instant Pot is perfect for making tomato soup

I’ve absolutely loved my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. You can use it to make so many different and amazing dishes, and soups are among my favorite recipes to make. I’ve adapted a favorite recipe for creamy tomato basil soup to make in the Instant Pot. And WOW is it good!

One of my very favorite meals growing up was always a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup. There’s nothing quite like melted American cheese between two piece of white bread which is perfectly toasted, along side a bowl of rich and delicious tomato soup. Oh, just the thought brings me right back grade school. Of course, as i’ve gotten older, my tastes have refined a bit and i’ve learned that there’s often more to a good grilled cheese sandwich and more to a bowl of great tomato soup. For the grilled cheese sandwiches, I love them on fresh sourdough bread using fresh sliced deli-style cheddar and American cheeses (or provolone, or gouda, etc.) And for tomato soup, my tastes have really refined over the years. So mush so, I don’t think I can ever go back to regular canned tomato soup again. Once I discovered creamy tomato soup with a little basil – I was in soup heaven.

This recipe for Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Basil Soup is very easy to make and absolutely delicious. The only prep required is cutting up 1/2 an onion and a stalk of celery. Then they go in your Instant Pot and saute for a few minutes. The aroma is awesome and you’re only about 15 minutes away from enjoying one of the best bowls of soup you’ll ever have.

Use Greek Yogurt instead of cream for better taste

For this recipe we’ll use 2 28oz (or 4 14oz) cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes; a tablespoon of dried basil, some sugar, chicken broth, and finally – some Greek yogurt. Cream soups often use heavy cream but for a creamy tomato soup, Greek yogurt adds a flavor that just can’t be beat. And let’s be honest – a 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt is much more appetizing that a 1/2 cup of heavy cream.

One very important thing to note is that in order add a creaminess to your Tomato Soup, remember you are not adding cream. Make sure to add Greek yogurt after the cooking cycle – It will be added AFTER the cooking is done. And when it’s all whisked together at the end – wow! The flavors all come together so perfectly and the Greek yogurt ads a creamy, delicious flavor that’s so much better than heavy cream.

Why does tomato soup go with grilled cheese?

Why exactly are grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup such a popular combination? The general consensus seems to start all the way back in 1910’s. It was during that time when a man named J.L. Kraft (yep – “that” Kraft) invented pasteurized processed cheese products. Soon thereafter, in the 1920’s, when sliced bread became a staple of the American diet, was when the grilled cheese sandwich came to prominence. Then it would be during World War II when tomato soup started getting served with grilled cheese sandwiches on Navy ships. This practice would later be adopted by American school cafeterias as the tomato soup met the governments requirements for vitamin C and protein in school lunches. Thus began a tradition that continues today. And really, regardless of the origins, a bowl of tomato soup is simply delicious with a grilled cheese sandwich – the flavors compliment each other perfectly.

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Best Damn Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Author: Recipe Teacher

Recipe type: Soup

Serves: 6 cups

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  10 mins

Total time:  15 mins

Ingredients

• ½ medium onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery
• 2 28.5oz cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions

1. Set your Instant Pot to saute on high setting and melt the butter. When butter is melted and hot, add onions and celery and saute for about 5 minutes.
2. Press cancel and add tomatoes, broth, sugar, salt and basil. Not the yogurt yet! With the tomatoes, broth, sugar and basil added to the sauteed onions and celery, secure the lid, close the seal and pressure cook for 10 minutes. When cooking cycle is complete do a quick release of the pressure and remove lid.
3. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until it's an even consistency. Usually takes a couple of minutes. Now add the Greek Yogurt and slowly blend it into the soup for about 30 seconds.

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