Tomato Soup with Pasta

5 from 3 votes

This nourishing tomato soup with pasta is so comforting and requires only basic pantry staples. It’s incredibly simple to make, yet rich and full of tomato flavor.

The recipe yields 4 servings (1 cup each).

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: pasta, Soup

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: Tomato soup with pasta

Servings:

Calories: 317kcal

Author: Katia

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil or butter
1 onion, diced (any colour)
2 garlic cloves, pressed
½ Tablespoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon dried basil (or a handful of fresh basil leaves)
3 cups (720 ml) tomato passata (puree)*
3 cups (720 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
¾ teaspoon fine salt, or according to taste*
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
½ lb (8oz/240 grams) short cut pasta (orecchiette, shells..)

To serve (optional)

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2-3 Tablespoon shaved or grated parmesan, to serve

Instructions

Warm the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the diced onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion turns translucent (5 minutes).
Add the garlic, turmeric, and basil, and stir to enhance all the flavors for about 1 minute (if you use fresh basil, keep it aside and add it at the end).
Add the tomato sauce, broth, tomato paste, salt, and pepper (¾ tsp of fine salt is fine if you use low-sodium vegetable broth, but if you use regular or chicken broth, it's better to adjust the seasoning at the end).
Stir in the pasta and bring to the boil. Then, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook the pasta, keeping the lid halfway. Stir often.
The soup will nicely thicken while the pasta is cooking, but trust your judgment and add extra broth if needed or if you prefer a thinner consistency when the pasta is done. Turn the heat off, taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking if needed, and stir in the thorn basil leaves if you use fresh basil.
Divide into 4 bowls and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, and grated/shaved parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

Sea salt: It’s important to adjust the seasoning at the end if you use regular broth or chicken broth as you never really know how salty the broth is.

Tomato sauce/passata substitution: If you have only whole or diced tomatoes, you can use an immersion blender or a stand blender to puree and use them instead of the tomato sauce. It will be less rich and kind of watery, but it can work, too.

Tomato soup and pasta leftovers: You can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, add a touch of water until it’s thinned to the desired consistency, then gently warm over medium-low heat or in your microwave. It’s not freezable.

If you use fresh and dried basil, reduce the quantity of dried basil by half.

Nutrition facts: The nutrition values are for one portion and are based on an online nutrition calculator (parmesan and extra virgin olive oil are not included). It’s an estimate only, and it should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Please see my disclosure policies.

Nutrition