In my house, winter is soup season. Warm (check), hearty (check), comforting (check), easy to make (check)!

But my favorite thing about making a big pot of soup on a cold Sunday afternoon is – LEFTOVERS.

There’s something so satisfying about knowing you’ll have a delicious meal ready and waiting for you on days when you don’t feel like cooking.

This Tomato Basil Soup is a healthy remake to the classic and has been a recent repeat-offender on my weekly meal plan.

It’s creamy (but dairy-free!), nourishing and loaded with a special antioxidant called lycopene.

And here’s an interesting lil tidbit: the amount of lycopene actually increases when tomatoes are cooked, which means you get even more of lycopene’s cardiovascular, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory benefits simply from eating this soup!

I love topping this soup with my spicy Crispy Chickpea Croutons and plant-based Parma Crumbles. But it would also be delish with a swirl of Cashew Sour Cream.

Add this to your must-make list and serve it with a grilled sammy, a big hearty salad or on its own.

Tomato Basil Soup

• 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and diced
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tablespoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 28oz. cans whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes
• 4 teaspoons tomato paste
• ½ cup red wine (optional)
• 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon sucanat (or brown sugar)
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes, then add the carrot and garlic and cook for 4 minutes more, stirring often.
2. Add sea salt, black and crushed red peppers to the veggie mixture and stir. Then stir in all the remaining ingredients (except the basil) and break the tomatoes into quarters.
3. Bring the soup to a boil, then simmer on low for 30 minutes.
4. Working in batches, add soup to a blender and blend until smooth and fully combined.
5. Pour blended soup back into the pot, stir in the basil and serve immediately.

As always, I’d love to hear from YOU! Are you a soup lover? If so, how’d this recipe stack up?

AND if you have a hearty, snow-day-fave-recipe that keeps you warm when the temps are frigid, I’d love to hear about that too! Let me know down below! 😉

xo