******* BREAKING NEWS: I have been so overwhelmed at the response to this post and all the people who have told me that they LOVE this recipe because it is so easy & delicious so I decided to start an Instagram account (like today) dedicated to bringing you simple recipes that can be made quickly with only a few ingredients! I would love for you follow me there! Find me on IG as @easyfamilyrecipes*******
So if you have been reading The Pinning Mama for any length of time, you probably know that we L-O-V-E Panera! They have so many really yummy things. What we love even better though, is cracking the code to make their super yummy food at home. As a matter of fact, our all time biggest post has been our Panera Chocolate Chip Cookie Copycat, and we also have a delicious Double Chocolate Chip Muffie Top Copycat. Today though, is epic. I am sharing one of my all time Panera favorites, a copycat recipe for their Creamy Tomato Basil Soup.
With winter STILL in full force around the country, I think it is the perfect time to curl up on the couch with a piping hot bowl of creamy tomato basil soup. And Panera’s is fabulous. It is rich and thick. It is smooth and creamy. It is pretty much the tomato soup lover’s heaven!
The absolute best part about this soup is that it is extremely easy to make. You do not have to spend days laboring in your kitchen peeling tomatoes and chopping garlic. As a matter of fact, you can make one quick trip to the store and then whip this soup up in about 15 minutes right on your very own stove top! That’s my favorite kind of recipe, the kind that tastes like it took hours, days, years, to make, but really it was super easy!
So after your trip to the store, the rest is easy! Combine your tomatoes, broth, and garlic in a pot and let boil for 10 minutes. This recipe is perfect for our crock pot chicken broth! The can of diced tomatoes give it the same chunky texture that they serve at Panera. If you prefer a smooth texture you can use two cans of crushed tomatoes instead of one of each. Also, in a pinch I have used a can of whole tomatoes that I crushed with a fork and then added.
Next, turn the heat down to low and stir in the sugar and butter, stirring until everything has melted and dissolved and is well mixed.
After it is combined, stir in your chopped basil. You can use more or less depending on size but 15-20 leaves is a good estimate of what I use.
The next step needs to be done very carefully and takes either a little bit of coordination or a little bit of help. Pour in your heavy cream extremely slowly with one hand while mixing continuously with the other. By pouring it slowly while mixing you allow it to fully combine and achieve a really creamy and wonderful soup. If you get excited and just pour in all of the cream at once, it can separate and make a not horrible, but definitely not as wonderful texture. Trust me… do it slowly, it is worth the wait!
Now, if you are a freezer cooking junkie {which I am,} then you will be thrilled to know that this recipe freezes beautifully. I often double the recipe so I can freeze an entire batch! Just prepare the soup as directed, let cool, and then put into a tupperware or gallon sized bag or two and freeze. To reheat, place in a pot over medium until warmed through on the stove top, or my favorite way, just microwave for 6-10 minutes stirring each minute until heated through.
As promised! Quick and easy! And if you serve this with a big fat grilled cheese sandwich, you might just make all the worries in the world disappear. At least for as long as lunch lasts! This is one of my all time favorite recipes and I hope will be one of yours too! Make sure and check out all of our other tasty recipes here and follow us on Facebook and Pinterest to keep up with all of the new and super delicious recipes we post!
If you like this soup then you will love this Creamy Lemon Chicken soup recipe. It is just asquick and easy and every bit as delicious.
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Ingredients
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp crushed garlic
- 1 14 oz can chicken broth {or 2 cups}
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 15-20 Basil leaves chopped
Instructions
Combine the tomatoes, broth, and garlic bring to a boil and let boil for 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the sugar and butter and mix until they are dissolved, melted and well combined.
Very slowly pour in the heavy cream while simultaneously stirring until all the cream is combined and the soup is creamy.
Stir in the basil.
I like to serve it hot garnished with a dollop of pesto and freshly grated parmesan cheese!
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
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FAQs
Detailed Ingredients
Tomatoes (Tomatoes, Tomato Puree, Citric Acid), Water, Heavy Cream, Onions, Contains 2% or less of: Butter (Cream, Salt), Seasoning (Sugar, Salt, Spices), Corn Starch, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic and Nisin Preparation.
What's the difference between creamy tomato soup and tomato soup? ›
But what about cream of tomato soup? Any “cream of” soup, tomato included, is pureed like a normal soup but then goes through a “creaming” process, wherein cream is added to the mixture. Cream of tomato soup is actually cooked at a much lower temperature than normal tomato soup.
What does Panera tomato soup taste like? ›
About This. Vine-ripened pear tomatoes pureed with fresh cream for a velvety smooth flavor accented by hints of red pepper and oregano and topped with black pepper and sea salt croutons.
Is Panera tomato soup healthy? ›
The Creamy Tomato Soup provides 8 grams of saturated fat—62% of the American Heart Association's daily recommendation. And since just 1 gram of fiber and 4 grams of protein are all this soup has to offer, it's not a very balanced choice.
Does Panera tomato soup have cream in it? ›
Panera Creamy Tomato Soup delivers a bakery-cafe inspired favorite in a microwavable cup that you can take with you on-the-go. This gluten free soup is made with vine-ripened tomatoes pureed with fresh cream, butter and spices for velvety smooth flavor.
Does Panera make their own soup? ›
That Soup Isn't Made In-House
It may taste homemade, but that Panera soup wasn't actually prepared by the workers at your local shop. "The soups are made at a factory/plant/etc., flash-frozen, shipped to us, and we thaw it out in what's called a thermalizer, essentially a soup-thawer," says one former employee.
How do you thicken creamy tomato soup? ›
Add flour or cornflour
Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.
Can you add cream to tomato soup without curdling? ›
Temper the cream first. Add a liitle bit of tomato sauce at a time to the cream until it is warm and then add it all back into the tomato sauce. This will keep it from curdling.
How do you add cream to tomato soup without curdling it? ›
When you add baking soda to tomato soup (or sauce, or chili), it neutralizes the acid in the tomatoes. Not only will this make the tomatoes taste less acidic (good news if your tomatoes turned out more sour than you expected), but it also means that you can now add milk to your soup without risking curdling it.
What is Panera's best selling soup? ›
According to the bakery-café chain, Broccoli Cheddar is America's favorite soup, with 49 states choosing it as their top pick. The outlier was Minnesota, which chose Cream of Chicken & Wild Rice as its top pick. The top three favorite soups nationwide are: Broccoli Cheddar Soup with 54.6M servings.
Recently Panera Bread removed French Onion soup from their menu. In lieu of these events we expressed our anger, sorrow and the onion shaped hole this left in our hearts.
Who makes Panera soup? ›
Blount Fine Foods, formerly Blount Seafood, is a prepared foods and soup manufacturer that produces wholesale frozen and fresh soups under the Blount brand as well as Panera Bread and Legal Sea Foods. Blount Fine Foods is headquartered in Fall River, Massachusetts with a production facility in Warren, Rhode Island.
What is the most unhealthy food at Panera? ›
10 Unhealthiest Panera Menu Items, According to Dietitians
- Pepperoni Mozzarella Melt.
- Roasted Turkey and Avocado BLT on Rustic Sourdough Bread.
- Vanilla Cinnamon Roll.
- Frozen Caramel Cold Brew.
- Chipotle Chicken & Bacon Flatbread.
- Mac & Cheese Bread Bowl.
- Sausage, Scrambled Eggs, & Cheese on an Asiago Bagel.
- Brownie.
Tomato soup is often high in sodium. Sodium is essential for our bodies, but too much of it can lead to high blood pressure, an increased risk of heart disease, and stroke.
What's the healthiest soup at Panera? ›
The 5 Best Panera Soups to Order If You're Trying to Be Healthy
- Black Bean Soup. Calories: 140 Fat: 2g Carbs: 40g Protein: 7g. ...
- Low-Fat Chicken Noodle Soup. Calories: 160 Fat: 5g Carbs: 19g Protein: 14g. ...
- Cream of Chicken & Wild Rice Soup. ...
- Vegan Lentil Quinoa Broth Bowl. ...
- Soba Noodle Broth Bowl with Chicken.
2% or less of: Butter (Cream, Salt), Sugar, Salt, Spices, Corn Starch, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Nisin Preparation and Garlic. CONTAINS: Milk. * The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet.
What is good inside tomato soup? ›
10 Simple Ingredients to Add to Tomato Soup
- 1) Fresh Rosemary. Kicking off the list is the simplest way to jazz up your tomato soup – fresh herbs. ...
- 2) Sauteed Onions. ...
- 3) Crispy Bacon. ...
- 4) Cream. ...
- 5) Chutney. ...
- 6) Melted Cheese. ...
- 7) Tinned Anchovies. ...
- 8) Toasted Pine Nuts.
Our Food Beliefs serve as a compass, helping us provide meals that are delicious, and made with high-quality, select ingredients. Clean Foods - Clean simply means we don't fill our pantry with the artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors, and colors from artificial sources that are listed on our No No List.
What are the ingredients in no name tomato soup? ›
Ingredients: Water, Tomato Paste, Sugar, Enriched Wheat Flour, Modifiedcorn Starch, Salt, Citric Acid, Natural Flavour, Annato, Spices.
