Raw Vegan Tomato Basil Soup

Tomato basil soup is my all time favorite. I just love the combination of the rich tomato and basil flavor. Avocado in the soup makes it nice and creamy so it’s very satisfying. It’s a super easy recipe, because basically all you need to do is blend!

For me, there’s always times when you want something warm, especially on a cold winter day, but you don’t have anything in the dehydrator pre-prepared. Raw soups are great on those days! You can warm it up to 110° in a high speed blender, or on a stove top, and enjoy a warm meal while it is still raw. I remember being pleasantly surprised when I first had warm raw soup, because of how warm it was. It feels much warmer than you would think it would be.

So let’s get started. First, you have to soak the sun dried tomatoes until they soften, which takes about 1-2 hours. This is the longest part, because everything else only takes 15 minutes! Keep the soak water, because you’ll be adding it later into the soup later. If you are pressed for time, and don’t want to bother with this soaking process,  just use the oil packed sun dried tomatoes, and skip the soaking process. This way, your soup will be done in 15 minutes from start to finish!

Once the sun dried tomatoes are ready, throw all the ingredients in the blender except for the soak water, basil and tomato for garnishing. Blend until smooth. Check the consistency of the soup and add the soak water if necessary, then blend until it becomes the desired consistency.

If you are serving it as a cold soup, you are done! Just garnish with basil and/or tomatoes. But if you want to warm it up, there’s 2 way.

1. Carry on blending and warm it up (works only with high speed blenders like Vitamix and Blendtec)

If you have a Vitamix or Blendtec, carry on blending the soup until it reaches 110°. If you have a temperature gun like this,  it’ll be super easy to monitor your temperature! I ordered one but haven’t received it yet, so didn’t get to use it for this recipe. Bummer!

If you don’t have one of these things, you can always use a candy thermometer. Just stop the blender in between to check the temperature. I don’t recommend sticking it in while you are blending! If it slips and hits the blades, it’s very dangerous! I don’t want you to find out which one breaks, the thermometer or the blender, or both!

2. Warm it up on the stove top

If  you don’t own a high speed blender, no problem! You can heat it up on the stove top. Just pour the soup into a sauce pan and heat it on the lowest flame, stirring constantly. Have your thermometer in there so you can watch the temperature. Take it off the stove when it reaches 100°. The temperature will keep rising and will go up to about 110°.

Once the soup is heated, there’s no time to waste! Plate and top with basil and/or tomatoes, and serve immediately. These aren’t boiling hot so they do cool off relatively fast. If you are having this soup with other dishes,  heat up the soup at the very end of cooking, so you can serve it warm with all the other dishes.

I just love raw soups for it’s ease and how long or I guess short it is to prepare. This raw vegan tomato basil soup will be a great addition to any meal for when you are craving something warm. Enjoy!

Tomato Basil Soup

 

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Cook time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: Mariko Sakata

Cuisine: raw food, raw vegan, gluten-free

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 4 ripe tomatoes
• 5 sun dried tomatoes
• 1 avocado
• 1 cup basil (loosely packed)
• 1 small garlic clove
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• Soaking water from the sun dried tomatoes as needed (use water if using oil packed sun dried tomatoes)
• Some chopped basil for garnish (optional)
• Some chopped tomato for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Soak the sun dried tomatoes for 1-2 hours until they soften. Skip this process if you are using the oil packed kind. Save the soaking water!
2. Roughly chop the tomatoes, basil, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes.
3. Add all ingredients into the blender except for the soak water, basil and tomato for garnish. Blend until smooth.
4. Check the consistency and add the soak water and blend until it reaches the desired consistency.
5. Serving cold: Plate and garnish with basil and/or tomatoes.
6. Serving warm using the high speed blender: Carry on blending for about 2 minutes until it reaches 110°. Check the temperature with a thermometer in between. Plate and garnish with basil and/or tomatoes, and serve immediately.
7. Stove top heating: Pour the soup into a sauce pan or pot, and heat on the lowest flame, stirring consistently. Put the thermometer in to check the temperature ocasionally. Turn off the heat when it reaches 100°. Plate and garnish with basil and/or tomatoes, and serve immediately.

Notes

If you are pressed for time, use the oil packed sun dried tomatoes to skip the soaking process.

If you have other dishes you are serving with this soup, heat the soup up at the very end of the cooking, so you can serve it warm with all the other dishes.

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