Bird Bakery’s Tomato Basil Soup

Winter is all about coats and fireplaces and snuggly blankets…and soup. With much gratitude, I can report that we are currently employing all those wintry bits in our house and loving every chilly draft.

Fittingly, we are making all the soups. One that tops our list of favorites is the warm Tomato Basil Soup from Bird Bakery (of San Antonio, Dallas, and Denver). We love meeting at Bird for a lunch of half a turkey sandwich and a cup of Tomato Basil Soup, but when we are home in Houston, we are thankful to owner Elizabeth Chambers for sharing her delicious recipe. Made with coconut milk, the soup is dairy-free and totally veggie-based, but you would never know because it is creamy and warm and all the things tomato basil soup should be in the winter.

Snuggle up!

Made with coconut milk, this Tomato Basil Soup is dairy-free and totally veggie-based, but you would never know because it is creamy and warm and delicious. This recipe is slightly adapted from Bird Bakery's Tomato Basil Soup. 

Bird Bakery’s Tomato Basil Soup (slightly adapted recipe)

1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil
4 cups onions (about 5 medium onions), peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
4 peeled garlic cloves
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes, juice separated from the tomatoes and set aside
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 cups coconut milk (you can substitute heavy cream)
¾ cup chopped fresh basil

Melt the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until soft and browned.

In another saucepan, bring the tomato juice to a boil over medium-high heat, and simmer until it is thick like ketchup, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic powder, white pepper, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt to the reduced tomato juice, whisking out any lumps.

When the onions have browned, add the canned tomatoes, stir, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and use an immersion blender to puree the tomatoes and onions until smooth. (Alternatively, you can cool them and puree in a food processor.)

Add the reduced tomato juice mixture to the pureed vegetables, and whisk in the coconut milk. Warm the soup for just a few minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the basil and serve.