Keto-Friendly Tomato Basil Soup: A Comprehensive Guide

Tomato basil soup is a classic comfort food, but traditional recipes are often high in carbohydrates, making them unsuitable for a ketogenic diet. This article explores how to make a delicious and satisfying tomato basil soup that aligns with keto principles, using various techniques and ingredient substitutions to minimize carbs while maximizing flavor.

Understanding Keto and Carbs in Tomatoes

The ketogenic diet emphasizes high fat, moderate protein, and very low carbohydrate intake. This metabolic shift forces the body to use fat for fuel instead of glucose, leading to weight loss and other health benefits. Tomatoes, while nutritious, contain natural sugars that contribute to their carbohydrate content. A small tomato has about 3g net carbs. Therefore, careful recipe modifications are necessary to create a keto-friendly tomato soup.

The Key to Keto Tomato Basil Soup: Minimizing Carbs

The primary challenge in making keto tomato soup is reducing the carbohydrate load without sacrificing taste and texture. Here are several strategies to achieve this:

• Roasting Tomatoes: Roasting intensifies the tomato flavor, reducing the need for large quantities of tomatoes. Roasting at high heat (400°F) caramelizes the natural sugars, enhancing sweetness and depth of flavor. Even tomatoes that aren’t quite ripe can benefit from roasting.
• Adding Low-Carb Vegetables: Incorporating vegetables like zucchini adds thickness and volume to the soup without significantly increasing the carb count. Zucchini is a neutral-tasting vegetable that blends seamlessly into the soup, enhancing its consistency and nutritional value.
• Using Bone Broth: Swapping water with bone broth enhances the flavor profile and adds nutritional value.
• Avoiding Sugar: Traditional tomato soup recipes often include sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. In keto recipes, sugar is replaced with keto-friendly sweeteners.
• Thickening Agents: Instead of flour or cornstarch, use xanthan gum as a thickening agent.

Keto Tomato Basil Soup Recipes

Here are a few variations of keto tomato basil soup recipes, highlighting different techniques and ingredients:

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

This recipe emphasizes roasting to bring out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes.

Read also: What Tomato Frogs Eat

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes (fresh summer tomatoes from your garden or farmers market)
• Onion (yellow onion)
• Garlic
• Fresh basil
• Olive oil
• Bone broth
• Heavy cream (or cashew cream, coconut cream, or original flavor nutpods for Whole30/Dairy-Free)
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Spread the tomatoes, onion, and garlic on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt.
3. Slow roast in the oven for 2 hours. Remove, and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Transfer the tomato mixture to your high-speed blender. Add in the fresh basil.
5. Blend over low or medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
6. Transfer the blended tomato mixture to your soup pot that is on the stove over medium heat.
7. Add in desired amount of bone broth until it is the desired consistency.
8. Add in desired amount of heavy cream.
9. Bring soup to a simmer. Taste for salt and pepper.

Stove Top Keto Tomato Soup

This recipe offers a quick and easy stove-top version.

Ingredients:

• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes (Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes with Italian Seasonings)
• 2 ounces cream cheese
• ¼ cup heavy (whipping) cream
• 4 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• ½ teaspoon fine Himalayan pink salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

1. Pour the tomatoes with their juices into a food processor (or blender) and purée until smooth.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the tomatoes, cream cheese, heavy cream, and butter for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all is melted and thoroughly combined.
3. Add the basil, and season with pink salt and pepper. Continue stirring for 5 minutes more, until completely smooth.

Instant Pot Keto Tomato Soup

This recipe utilizes an Instant Pot for a convenient and flavorful soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter or ghee
• ½ cup diced onion
• ½ cup diced celery
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes in juice
• ½ cup heavy cream or coconut cream
• ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
• ½ teaspoon fine Himalayan pink salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Cheese Crisps (optional)

Instructions:

1. Select SAUTÉ on the Instant Pot. Add the butter, and when it has melted, add the onion, celery, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Select CANCEL.
2. Add the tomatoes and 3 cups water.
3. Secure the lid on the pot and close the pressure-release valve. Set the pot to HIGH pressure for 5 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, use a natural release to depressurize for 10 minutes, then quick-release the remaining pressure.
4. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup. (Or, let the soup cool slightly and, working in batches, carefully transfer the soup to a blender, cover, and blend until smooth.
5. To make the cheese crisps: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Create mounds of shredded cheese, using about 2 tablespoons of cheese per crisp, leaving room so they can spread as they cook. Bake until melted and golden around the edges, about 7 minutes.

Creamy Keto Tomato Soup

This recipe uses canned roasted tomatoes for simplicity and speed.

Ingredients:

• Canned roasted tomatoes
• Butter
• Onions
• Garlic Cloves
• Water and Concentrated Chicken Broth
• Heavy Cream
• Pesto
• Italian Seasoning
• Xanthan Gum

Instructions:

1. Heat butter in a large sauce pan over medium-low heat.
2. Sauté onions and garlic in the butter until translucent (~2 minutes)
3. Add the roasted tomatoes and all of its liquid to the pan
4. Add the next 5 ingredients. Stir and allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes.
5. If using a standard blender: Add the hot tomato mixture to a blender with the Xanthan Gum, cream cheese, heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Blend until incorporated. Salt to taste. Serve immediately.
6. If using an immersion blender: Add the Xanthan Gum, cream cheese, heavy cream and parmesan cheese to the pot. Blend until incorporated. Salt to taste.

Jazzed Up Keto Tomato Soup

This recipe includes zucchini for added thickness and nutrition.

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes
• Garlic
• Zucchini
• Basil
• Whipping cream
• Parmesan
• Chicken broth

Instructions:

1. Roast the tomatoes: Spread the tomatoes in a baking dish and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 30 minutes at 400ºF, until caramelized.
2. Simmer the vegetables: Sauté the garlic and zucchini in a little more oil, then stir in the tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes, until the zucchini is tender.
3. Blend the soup: Add the basil leaves and let wilt a few minutes. Then transfer the soup to a large blender or food processor and puree. You may need to work in batches to accommodate all the soup. You can also use an immersion blender, and blend right in the pot.
4. Return to the pot: Return the soup to the pot and stir in the heavy cream. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until melted and combined. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings as desired.

Dairy-Free Keto Tomato Soup

This recipe modifies the standard recipe to accommodate dairy-free diets.

Read also: Delicious Tomato Sandwiches Recipe

Ingredients:

• Canned tomatoes and fresh cherry tomatoes
• Carrot, celery and onion
• Garlic
• Chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• Fresh basil
• Olive oil
• Coconut cream

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the chopped carrot, celery and onion and sauté on a medium heat until soft.
2. Add the fresh and the tinned tomatoes, chicken broth, salt and pepper.
3. For the optional basil oil, add basil, oil and pinch of salt to a small blender.
4. Place in a blender and blend until smooth.
5. For a dairy-free creamy soup, add coconut cream.

Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Keto Tomato Basil Soup

• Tomato Selection: Use good quality canned tomatoes for the best flavor. Homegrown, organic, and/or San Marzano region tomatoes will typically give the best flavor. Cherry tomatoes have an intense flavor and are a good choice.
• Fresh Herbs: Use fresh basil for the best flavor. If dried basil is used, a ¼ cup should suffice.
• Blending: Use a high-speed blender for a smooth consistency. If using a hand blender, blend in a tall and narrow container to avoid splattering.
• Sweetness: Add a keto sweetener to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
• Variations: Experiment with different herbs and spices such as paprika, cumin, Herbs de Provence, thyme, or oregano.

Serving Suggestions

Keto tomato basil soup can be served in a variety of ways:

• With Keto Bread or Crackers: Serve with a slice of low-carb bread, almond flour bread, or keto dinner rolls.
• With Cheese Crisps: Crumble on parmesan "crackers" like Whisps.
• As a Side Dish: Serve as a soup and salad combination with your favorite green salad. A Caesar salad would be a great choice. You could also make a keto sandwich or lettuce wrap to serve alongside this soup.
• With Grilled Cheese: Pair with keto grilled cheese sandwiches.

Storage and Freezing

• Refrigerator Storage: Store the soup in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
• Freezer Storage: Freeze the soup in a freezer-safe airtight container for at least 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat either in the microwave until warm, about 3-5 minutes.

Nutritional Information

Nutritional information varies based on the specific ingredients and quantities used. However, a typical serving of keto tomato basil soup contains approximately 5-8g net carbs.

Read also: Benefits of Tomato Soup Liquid Diet

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