Provençal Tomato and Basil Soup Recipe (2024)

You must add one large diced carrot with the onion. Brings color, texture and sweetness. No need for sugar if you do.

Leave out the water completely as well as the tapioca.

Worked great with canned San Marzano tomatoes. Used tapioca and puréed with a stick blender right in the pot.

I ended up using this soup as a base for killer minestrone. On it's own, the flavor is bland and the tapioca lends a silky, but funky, texture. Even with garden fresh ingredients this soup is just ok. But, add lots of veggies, more herbs, pasta (Italian sausage?) and its a winner!

Uncooked.

Made this for a winery picnic where a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich food cart was going to be present! It was delicious and completed the sandwiches beautifully. After reading the notes I substituting chicken stock rather than water, using only about half the amount. I then did not need to use the rice/tapioca. Used frozen chopped basil instead of fresh and carrot instead of sugar. Delicious!

Add cooked or uncooked rice?

For so few ingredients this takes a lot of time and ends up quite bland and has a distinct rice flavor. I even tried adding anchovies. Maybe the soup is supposed to be mild? It tasted good until the water was added.Also, why are the basil leaves removed before blending?I'd use toasted bread instead of rice next time.

I added a small frozen block of chopped fresh basil leaves in olive oil; don't remember putting the plastic bag of them into the freezer so it must have been 18 months ago and I apparently used a muffin tin to freeze the little mounds. The basil was still pungent and fragrant and added a great flavor.

This needs more of everything. I used 7 on-the-vine tomatoes, hoping that was 2 pounds. This would benefit from a lot more tomato, more onion. I used 2 cups of milk with 2 cups of water, which makes it a little richer.

This is the best tomato basil soup recipe that I have cooked. I doubled the amount of garlic. The only advice I have is that if you use a blender to puree it, do not fill the canister more than half full and definitely hold the top down with a dishtowel. Also, let the soup cool for about 15 minutes before pureeing. Looking forward to making this next summer when I have fresh tomatoes and basil from my garden. I used canned tomatoes and the flavor was still wonderful.

Canned fire roasted tomatoes makes this luscious, and a splash of cream at the end to finish. Used tons of basil from garden, too!

Included shaved parmesan and used canned whole tomatoes. Rather than water used chicken broth. Quarter cup tapioca flour was enough thickening. Perfect.

Cook post blend to really make it creamy, otherwise the rice remains in tiny chunks

At first I was skeptical of adding the rice,But was pleasantly surprised. I made a few modifications, substituting chicken stock for water, and adding a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. I did not have fresh basil available so substituted with some pesto. It was delicious!

February 5, 2024. Added Aleppo pepper, mushroom powder, tablespoon tomato paste carrots. No sugar. Didn’t have basil, used herbes d’Provence. Thickened with yellow sweet/yams. So good.

Love this! So simple yet flavorful! I have basil growing year round under a grow light, so putting this together is super easy.

Used my garden fresh san marzanos and followed the directions with rice. Portioned out and froze for lunches after the first meal and have been enjoying this for the last two months. The flavors are so wonderful even after that freezer time, like taking me back to my summer harvest meals. The cheese rind is an absolute must for the overall balance and umami. And who doesn't love garlic croutons?

I took others advice and reduced the water by 1/2 a cup. Only other advice is make sure to use enough salt and pepper! We had homemade croutons and that was what really pulled everything together. Perfect meal with some cheese and crackers on a Sunday evening.

I cooked the rice separately. I kept the basil in and used crushed tomatoes to avoid blending. The soup is a bit bland for the effort. I think it could serve as stock for a richer vegetable soup. Would tomato paste or more onions help?

Read the notes a bit late, so added a carrot, leek, tomato paste and pesto as well as chicken stock to the tomatoes as they cooked down. Seasoned with a touch of cayenne and Spanish paprika. Hmm, maybe a bit less cayenne, but I like the kick it added.

Smoked paprika is a wonderful addition to any basic tomato soup.

I followed the recipe pretty closely. I started before reading the comment about lack of flavor, so I simmered with the lid off to cook down and concentrate flavor. I adjusted salt at the end and added a dash of Worcester Sauce and a bit of aged sherry vinegar. Yum!

Great recipe! I leave the basil leaves in & blend everything, makes a nice thick soup. Merci beaucoup

I used a potato cooked and blended with the rest of it for thickening. Also, I leave the basil in and also use veg. broth instead of water.

Strain the solids, blend the solids (including the basil!) and then mix back into the liquids. Much easier than blending an entire pot of soup. I needed much more salt and sugar and I added a splash of milk. Simple and delicious!

I used a can of tomatoes and tapioca. Also, I used basil leaves and left them in there when I blended everything with immersion blender. Added some Aleppo pepper and herbs de Provence. Totally delicious!

Use bone broth instead of water, use a couple of carrots chopped instead of sugar

So, we had almost nothing in the house for dinner, but we did have a can of San Marzano tomatoes and basil growing in the garden. I made the recipe as instructed with rice instead of tapioca. I added a tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning, a tablespoon of tomato paste, and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. The soup was delicious and complemented a crusty baguette my husband made today, a green salad, and a nice bottle of red wine.