Tomato Basil Soup {Cafe Zupas Copycat Version}

5 from 3 votes

Tomato Basil Soup {Cafe Zupas Copycat Version}

Tomato Basil Soup made with ripe tomatoes & pesto sauce blended until smooth & creamy & served topped with cheese & croutons! It's just like the Tomato Basil Soup recipe served at Cafe Zupas!

Prep Time20

Cook Time7

Total Time7 20

Course: dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: tomato basil soup

Servings:

Calories: 184kcal

Author: Jessica & Nellie

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups Pesto sauce
5 1/2 cups tomatoes fresh or canned (43 oz)
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup diced onion
2 stalks celery, sliced
3/4 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp sugar
12 oz evaporated milk or 1 1/3 cup cream

Pesto Sauce

2/3 cup fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Pesto Sauce

Blend together all of the ingredients until smooth

Tomato Soup

Set crockpot on high so that it can begin warming up while you assemble the soup. If you don't want to use a crockpot, feel free to use a saucepan instead.
Wash and slice vegetables.
In a frying pan (or just use the saucepan if you're not using a crockpot) melt butter over medium-high heat. Add in onion and celery.
Cook until vegetables soften, about 5-8 minutes. Transfer to the crockpot and add in all remaining ingredients, except the cream. At this point the soup doesn't look very pretty. Don't worry- it will cook down and all the veggies will meld together.
Crockpot: Cook on high 6 hours. Blend until smooth. Cook an additional hour. Add cream & serve.
Saucepan on stove: Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low. Simmer for about 2 hours total. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Cook an additional 30 minutes, then stir in evaporated milk. Serve, topped with Parmesan cheese and croutons.

Video

Notes

INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS: Add the butter & saute the onion and celery in your pot for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes (no need to drain the canned tomatoes!), pesto, Oregano & sugar. If using fresh tomatoes, add 1 cup water. Place the lid and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Natural pressure release, then blend with an immersion blender. Add evaporated milk, stir and then serve!

Nutrition