"Creamy" Tomato Basil Soup
with chickpea croutons / roasted broccoli
We've featured different variations of tomato soup in the past, but our latest version is velvety and rich, thanks to the addition of cashew cream. Paired with crispy chickpeas and tender, roasted broccoli, it's comfort food you can feel great about.
Smarts: Cashew cream has quickly become a favorite staple in our test kitchen for its endless versatility, so we encourage you to give it a try. If you prefer not to make it, you can make your soup creamy by adding half and half, cream, plain yogurt, or coconut milk in its place (or leave it out altogether for a non-creamy soup).
Ingredients
- Cashews, raw and unsalted - 1 cup
- Garlic - 1 clove , peeled
- Water - 1/2 cup
- Lemon juice - 2 Tbsp
- Oil, olive - 2 Tbsp
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Broccoli - 1 lb , florets
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Beans, garbanzo (14 oz / 397 g) - 1 can , drained and rinsed
- Parchment paper - for roasting
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Paprika, smoked - 1/2 tsp
- Onions, medium - 1 , chopped
- Garlic - 2 cloves , chopped
- Oil, olive - 1 Tbsp
- Tomato paste - 1 1/2 Tbsp
- Basil, dried - 1 tsp
- Tomatoes, diced and preferably fire-roasted (14 oz / 397 g) - 2 cans
- Tomatoes, sun-dried - 6 , drained (about 1/2 cup, oil-packed preferred)
- Sugar - 1/2 tsp
- Stock, any type - 2 cups
- Cashew cream (ingredients listed separately) - 1/3 cup
Prep
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Soak cashews - Place cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for 4-6 hours, drain well, then proceed with cashew cream. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Make cashew cream - (If prepping right before cooking, get oven heating first.) Place all ingredients for cashew cream in a blender and puree until smooth and creamy. Thin with a bit more water or olive oil if mixture is too thick to blend easily. Taste and season with some additional salt, if desired. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Broccoli / Onions / Garlic (for tomato soup) - Prep as directed and store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Beans - Drain and rinse.
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Make
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Heat oven to 425F / 218C degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Pat chickpeas dry with paper towels and remove any loose skins. Toss with cooking oil (portion for chickpeas) and smoked paprika. Season with some salt and pepper and spread out on one side of the baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes to get them started cooking.
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While chickpeas roast, heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil (portion for soup) and then onions to heated oil. Saute until soft, ~3 minutes. Add garlic (portion for soup), tomato paste, basil, and a pinch of salt. Saute for 2 minutes more.
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Add diced tomatoes with their juice, sun dried tomatoes, sugar, and stock. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes to let the flavors come together. Remove from heat, remove the lid, and let soup cool briefly.
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Toss broccoli with cooking oil (portion for broccoli) and season with some salt and pepper. Spread out on the second half of the baking sheet with the chickpeas. Return pan to the oven and continue roasting until broccoli is tender and brown in spots and chickpeas are golden and crisp, 15 to 18 minutes more, shaking the pan halfway through cooking.
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If making Thursday night's meal, set aside 1/4 cup of cashew cream (amount for 4 servings; adjust if customizing).
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When soup has cooled slightly, puree with an immersion blender. Stir in cashew cream. If soup seems too thick at this point, stir in some water or additional stock. Season to taste with some salt and pepper if needed.
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Ladle soup into bowls and top with chickpea croutons. Serve soup with roasted broccoli on the side. Enjoy!
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