Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Roasted tomato basil soup is a delicious homemade tomato soup recipe for canning, and it’s the perfect way to preserve a bumper crop of tomatoes to enjoy once those chilly autumn days arrive.

Autumn means the beginning of tomato soup weather here in Vermont, and it’s also when we’re harvesting homegrown tomatoes by the bucket full.  Our basil plants are the size of an unwieldy toddler, and we’re buried in everything we need to make a truly spectacular bowl of home-canned tomato soup.

Ball Canning developed this particular recipe, which is a tested pressure canning recipe that doesn’t include any vinegar or lemon juice, so you get all that savory tomato flavor without the extra acid.  As a result, there’s no sugar in this recipe either, just great tomato flavor.

If you don’t want to use basil, that’s perfectly fine; it’s optional.  You can season the soup with other green herbs (like parsley) or make a plain roasted tomato soup.  The choice is yours!

I’ve canned this batch in Ball Canning’s Nesting Mason Jars, designed to stack in storage when empty.  To me, that’s not their real benefit, though.  They look like a drink tumbler, and I’ve been looking for a smooth soup to make for heat and sip enjoyment right out of the jar.  The perfect work lunch!

Ingredients to Tomato Basil Soup

This is a tested pressure canning recipe adapted from The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving.  To make about 6 pints or 3 quarts of home-canned tomato soup, you’ll need the following:

• 8 lbs plum tomatoes, cored and halved (or 10 to 12 lbs slicing or heirloom tomatoes)
• 5 tsp. salt, divided
• 2 tsp. ground black pepper, divided
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 cup basil leaves, tightly packed

This recipe roasts the tomatoes to help bring out their natural sweetness, so it doesn’t include any added sugar as most tomato soups do.  If you’d like to add a bit of sugar, that’s fine for canning, but I like this one savory. 

Use vegetable or chicken stock for the best flavor, but lacking that, water works too as a liquid.  The white wine really makes the flavors pop, but it’s not strictly required in this recipe.  You can use more broth/stock in place of the wine, or use water and a tablespoon of vinegar to get a similar flavor.  

This is a tested pressure canning recipe, so you don’t need to add lemon juice or vinegar, which helps keep the acidity down for those who are more sensitive to acidity in tomato soups. 

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

This soup comes together beautifully and with minimal cooking time because you start by concentrating the flavor of the tomatoes by roasting them in the oven before they go into the soup pot.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Core the tomatoes and slice them in half, top to bottom.  Remove the seeds with a spoon (or a quick squeeze over a bowl), and arrange the tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet.

Sprinkle the tomatoes with 1 Tbsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper.

Roast the tomatoes for about 45 minutes, until the tomatoes are very soft and have started to dry out a bit.  Peel the roasted tomatoes and coarsely chop.  At this point, they’re peeled, seeded and roasted. 

(If you want to skip the peeling and seeding steps, roast the tomatoes and then process everything through a food mill with a fine mesh to remove the peels and seeds.  I think it’s easier to scoop out the seeds first, then slip the peels after roasting as they come off so quickly.  Then I don’t have to do all those extra food mill dishes, but to each their own.  I tried this with multiple different methods, using both a food mill and a mesh strainer to remove the seeds on various batches, and it’s much quicker to scoop the seeds first and then slip the peels.  )

Add the olive oil to a pot, as well as onion, garlic, and remaining salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat until fragrant but not browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. 

Add white wine and simmer for about 10 minutes, until most of the wine evaporates.  Add in tomatoes, stock, and basil.

Cook for 20 minutes, until thoroughly heated.  While the soup cooks, pre-heat your pressure canner.

Process in a blender, or use an immersion blender to make the soup completely smooth.  If using a blender, you’ll probably need to work in batches.

Once the soup is smooth, return it to the pot and bring it back to a simmer to prepare for pressure canning.

If you’re not canning, the soup is fully cooked at this point, and you can just serve it as is or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.  If you are canning, it’s time to get out your pressure canner!

Canning Tomato Basil Soup

If you’re not familiar with pressure canning, start by reading my beginner’s guide to pressure canning so you understand all the steps.

To can tomato soup, ladle the hot soup into prepared canning jars, leaving 1-inch headspace.

Add 2-piece canning lids and tighten to finger tight.  Load into your preheated pressure canner.

Close the lid and vent the steam for 10 minutes, then add the canning weight and bring the canner up to pressure.

Once at pressure, process pint jars for 50 minutes and quart jars for 60 minutes.

Pressure Canning Altitude Adjustments

With pressure canning, the processing times stay the same at higher altitudes, but the pressures change.  Here are the altitude adjustments for pressure canning tomato soup:

For dial gauge pressure canners:

• 0 to 2,000 feet in elevation – 11 lbs pressure
• 2,001 to 4,000 feet in elevation – 12 lbs pressure
• 4,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation – 13 lbs pressure
• 6,001 to 8,000 feet in elevation – 14 lbs pressure

For weighted gauge pressure canners:

• 0 to 1,000 feet in elevation – 10 lbs pressure
• Above 1,000 feet – 15 lbs pressure

Serving Tomato Basil Soup

This soup is pretty much ready to go right out of the jar.  Just simmer for 10 minutes to thoroughly heat through and serve.

It’s especially good with homemade grilled cheese sandwiches!

Yield: Makes 6 pints or 3 quarts

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour

Roasted tomato basil soup is a delicious homemade tomato soup recipe for canning, and it's the perfect way to preserve a bumper crop of tomatoes to enjoy once those chilly autumn days arrive.

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Ingredients

• 8 lbs plum tomatoes, cored and halved (or 10 to 12 lbs slicing or heirloom tomatoes)
• 5 tsp. salt, divided
• 2 tsp. ground black pepper, divided
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 cup basil leaves, tightly packed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Core the tomatoes and slice them in half, top to bottom.  Remove the seeds with a spoon (or a quick squeeze over a bowl, and arrange the tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet.
3. Sprinkle the tomatoes with 1 Tbsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper.
4. Roast the tomatoes for about 45 minutes, until the tomatoes are very soft and have started to dry out a bit.  Peel the roasted tomatoes and coarsely chop.
5. Add the olive oil to a pot, as well as onion, garlic, and remaining salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat until fragrant but not browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. 
6. Add white wine and simmer for about 10 minutes, until most the wine evaporates.  Add in tomatoes, stock and basil.
7. Cook for 20 minutes, until thoroughly heated. 
8. While the soup cooks, pre-heat your pressure canner.
9. Process the soup in a blender, or use an immersion blender to make the soup completely smooth.  If using a blender, you'll probably need to work in batches.
10. Once the soup is smooth, return it to the pot and bring it back to a simmer to prepare for pressure canning.
11. To can tomato soup, ladle the hot soup into prepared canning jars, leaving 1-inch headspace.
12. Add 2-piece canning lids and tighten to finger tight.  Load into your preheated pressure canner.
13. Close the lid and vent the steam for 10 minutes, then add the canning weight and bring the canner up to pressure.
14. Once at pressure, process pint jars for 50 minutes and quart jars for 60 minutes, adjusting pressure to altitude.

Notes

With pressure canning, the processing times stay the same at higher altitudes, but the pressures change.  Here are the altitude adjustments for pressure canning:

For dial gauge pressure canners:

• 0 to 2,000 feet in elevation – 11 lbs pressure
• 2,001 to 4,000 feet in elevation – 12 lbs pressure
• 4,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation – 13 lbs pressure
• 6,001 to 8,000 feet in elevation – 14 lbs pressure

For weighted gauge pressure canners:

• 0 to 1,000 feet in elevation – 10 lbs pressure
• Above 1,000 feet – 15 lbs pressure

Vegetarian Soup Canning Recipes

Looking for more savory vegetarian soups for home canning?

• Canning Mushroom Soup Base
• Carrot and Fennel Soup
• French Onion Soup
• Thai Coconut Squash Soup