30-Minute Instant Pot Tomato Soup (With Stovetop Version!)
Everyone should have an easy tomato soup recipe at their fingertips. This very simple and healthy Instant Pot tomato soup is hands-off to make in just 30 minutes. Perfect for work lunches or simple dinners for guests. Almost as easy to make on your stovetop if you prefer (instructions in notes section).
Press the sauté button on your Instant Pot (or similar) and add the olive oil to the bowl. When it's hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Press 'Cancel' to turn the sauté function off.
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 large onion, 1 large carrot, 2 sticks of celery, 2 garlic cloves
Add the tomatoes and broth/stock to the pot. Lock Instant Pot lid and pressure cook on 'Low' for 10 minutes (or around 5psi which is 'Medium' on some other brands of electric pressure cooker). It will take some time to come to pressure, then begin counting down.
28 ounces canned tomatoes, 4 cups chicken broth
When the cooking time is over, open the pressure release valve carefully for a 'quick release' of the pressure. On other brands of electric pressure cooker, there may be a button to select 'quick pressure release' before you start cooking.
Open the lid, then blend the soup until smooth with a hand-held immersion blender, or pour into a food processor and blend that way. Add the salt and pepper (plus more to taste if you like) and most of the basil and blend for a few seconds longer until the basil is well chopped but you can still see small flecks in the soup.
½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 2 tablespoons fresh basil
Stir in the balsamic vinegar (if including) and honey/sugar. If you like, serve with more fresh basil, salt and pepper sprinkled over the top, and perhaps a little parmesan/cheddar. You can also swirl in a little cream or Greek yogurt, and serve with 2-minute toasted bread with olive oil and salt on the side, if you wish.
½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, toasted bread drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt
Notes
If you'd like to substitute dried basil for fresh, I'd add a heaped tablespoon of dried.Stovetop instructions: If you prefer to make the soup on your stovetop, simply prepare in exactly the same way as you would for the Instant Pot. Then let the soup simmer for 10 minutes before blending with a hand-held blender (or in your food processor). Serving suggestions: I usually serve this soup with more fresh basil and salt and pepper on the top, plus a little sprinkle of tasty cheese (parmesan or sharp cheddar), and these amazingly simple but tasty 2-minute olive oil toasts. Other great options include making a quick batch of these tasty 4-ingredient cheese twists for dipping, or serving the soup as part of a larger meal with this famous self-crusting quiche, a Mary Berry quiche lorraine, this show-stopping spinach and feta filo pie, or a fresh Greek village salad and bread.