Tomato basil soup is one of our favorites and is simple to make. When I became plant based it was one of those things that was hard to find a good recipe that wasn’t too acidic that James would eat. When we were first married I made a creamy tomato basil soup with canned tomatoes with Italian seasonings, and cream cheese… that was pretty much it. It was delicious. One of James’ favorites, but couldn’t say it was nutritiously balanced. Plus the fact that both James and I are (at the least) lactose-intolerant.
So finding a dairy-free creamy tomato soup was one of my challenges. I was able to make a few here and there that were “good” but I wanted something I could make over and over again, and it be just as easy as the other recipe. And through trial and error, I’ve come up with this one! But before we get to the recipe, let’s look at tomatoes for a minute.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes is one of the few fruits/vegetables that can be more nutritious after cooking it, than before. Heat changes the chemistry of the food and for tomatoes, it’s a good thing. However raw tomatoes will have more vitamin C. Why is it sometimes better to cook tomatoes?
Lycopene is the phytochemical that gives tomatoes their rich red color, although not all red fruits and vegetables have lycopene. It’s also an antioxidant which is what helps with the oxygenation of cells that naturally occurs with aging. Scientists found that the more tomatoes were cooked, although loosing the amount of vitamin C, increased in the amount of lycopene. So what does it specifically do for us?
Lycopene
- Antioxidant
- Fights toxins and pesticides
- Eye Health
- Ability to prevent or delay cataracts
- Brain Health
- Counteracts future cell damage and death
- Heart Health
- Helps lower blood pressure, helps and prevents coronary heart disease
- Bone Health
- Relieves oxidative stress in bones that cause them to be brittle and weak
The other good thing about cooking tomatoes, the longer they cook, the better the flavor. Spaghetti sauce, chili, tomato soup, etc. If you are able to let it simmer for a while, even a few hours, the flavor is richer and less acidic. And now you know it will have higher levels of a powerful antioxidant.
Ready for a dairy-free, low-fat, creamy tomato soup that is easy to make in 10 minutes?
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup (Low-Fat & Dairy Free)
Ingredients
- 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with garlic, basil, and oregano, undrained
- 1 (14 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15 oz) can butter beans (or cannellini beans if you can’t find butter beans)
- 1 cup unsweetened plain plant-based yogurt (I use Kite Hill’s) Or you can use a plant based version that is creamy and adds fat, which is using coconut cream from the can.
- 1 tsp brown sugar, optional
- salt and pepper to taste, if desired
Directions
- Add all ingredients to a blender, other than brown sugar, and blend until smooth. Add to a medium pan and heat through at least for 10 minutes.
- If you can let it simmer for 30 minutes or more the flavors will be more combined and less acidic. If they are still acidic or you don’t want to wait for it to simmer, add in the 1 teaspoon of brown sugar to cut the acidity.
Nutritional Information
215 calories | 1.0 g total fat | 0.2 g saturated fat | 0.4 g polyunsaturated fat | 0.1 g monounsaturated fat | 0 g trans fat | 2.4 mg cholesterol | 1437 sodium (if not using low sodium canned goods) | 37 g carbohydrates | 8 g fiber | 15.5 g sugar | 14.4 g protein
Macro Sources
69% Carbohydrates | 4% Fat | 27% Protein
Dietary Servings per Portion
- 0.6 Meat Alternative
- 0.3 Milk Alternative
- 3.4 Vegetables
A Different Beet Nutrition 