Creamy Tomato, Basil & White Bean Soup

Chelsea Cameron-Fikis
Sep 10, 2018
3 min read

Throughout my childhood I maintained a love/hate relationship with tomatoes. First off, I could never quite understand if they belonged to the fruit or vegetable family, (make up your mind! Apparently they are considered both?) Secondly, I did not particularly care for their juicy taste and texture. To be honest, I didn't gain a full appreciation for les tomates until I entered my twenties and started to cook with them more frequently. Now I know that tomatoes are actually little red antioxidant balls that have numerous health benefits, oh and they actually taste pretty wonderful, (thankfully my taste buds matured beyond meals like plain noodles with butter and Parmesan, or Lucky Charms). In case you didn't know, tomatoes contain high levels of Vitamins A, C, K, B6 and folate, and have been linked to health benefits like lowered cholesterol (improved heart health) and a reduced risk of cancer and diabetes. This pureed tomato soup is pure gold (or ruby if we're sticking with the red theme). Things that I love about this recipe are: it doesn't take too long to make, the yield is worth it (a pot large enough for about 6-8 bowls - yes I love leftovers), it is very nutritious (I'm staying healthy with the help of my two immunity sidekicks, garlic and onion), and it's very filling, especially with the addition of beans! I've made this soup vegetarian style (with cream cheese), vegan style (with coconut milk), and now vegan style with added protein (with coconut milk and beans). All are pretty great, but I happen to like my latest version with coconut milk and navy beans. Try it for a Meatless Monday meal, and then enjoy the leftovers for lunch throughout the rest of the week. I'm a passionate tomato lover now, so I can safely say that this is one of my favourite soup recipes. If you're still on Team 'Sans Tomates', I'd suggest you make this soup because it will probably change your mind.

Creamy Tomato, Basil & White Bean Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Yield: 1 large soup/sauce pot (approx 6-8 servings)

Difficulty: Easy to average

Ingredients:

14 large Roma tomatoes, or enough to fill an entire baking tray, washed and cut in half
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 large white onion, diced
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chilli flakes (or 1/2 teaspoon if you prefer less heat)
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
1 14oz can of navy beans, strained
1 14oz can of whole coconut milk
4 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 cups fresh basil, packed and cut into strips
1 teaspoon Mediterranean sea salt
dash of pepper for taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Wash and cut Roma tomatoes in halves (length-wise). Place tomatoes on a baking tray facing up, and sprinkle with mediterranean sea salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Bake tomatoes for 35-40 minutes. In the meantime, chop up your onion, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.
In a large soup pot add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil to medium high heat. Stir in the chilli flakes and chopped up onion to sauté. Allow the onions to sauté for about 5 minutes or until they start to become soft and translucent.
Next add the garlic and the sun-dried tomatoes into the mix, and stir all together for about a minute.
Add the can of tomatoes, vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
Once the Roma tomatoes are done baking in the oven, remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes or so. Note: you may at this point choose to remove the skins from the tomatoes (the skins will peel right off). This is a texture preference, as the skins don't blend as well when you puree your soup later on.
Once the soup mixture begins to boil, add in the baked Roma tomatoes (skin on or off) and can of navy beans and let everything simmer for about 10 minutes.
Next add your basil and can of coconut milk.
Stir to evenly combine the coconut milk and allow basil to wilt slightly.
Finally, begin the final blending process by mixing everything together with an immersion blender until you have a nice, creamy pureed soup (remember, if you don't have an immersion blender, a regular blender works fine too).
Allow to cool before serving. Sprinkle some fresh ground pepper on top, and serve with your favourite crackers or bread.