Tomato Soup with Basil

Creamy tomato soup with roasted tomatoes, basil and garlic

  • Easy
  • 60 min
  • 4 serv.
  • 10 synergies
  • Now at its best: Tomato

A classic tomato soup with roasted tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic and creamy coconut milk. Smooth, full of flavour and ideal to make ahead.

This tomato soup begins in the oven, where ripe tomatoes slowly deepen in colour and bring out their natural sweetness. Onion and garlic roast alongside them until soft and fragrant, before everything goes into the pot with broth. Coconut milk makes the soup rounded and creamy without taking away its freshness, while basil is added only at the end so its green, summery aroma stays bright. A small spoonful of honey can soften the acidity of the tomatoes, but the soup remains beautifully simple: red, velvety and pure. It is the kind of bowl you can pull from the fridge on a busy day and still make taste freshly cooked.

15
min prep
45
min cook
60
min total
Nutritional Synergies

This recipe combines ingredients that enhance each other:

Synergy
Honey Honey Olive Oil Olive Oil

Dual bioactive action via chrysin + oleocanthal

Technical: Honey contains chrysin and olive oil oleocanthal — bioactive phenolic compounds studied in research in connection with NF-κB and COX signaling. Together they provide plant compounds through two independent routes.

What does this mean for you? A dressing of honey and olive oil is not just tasty — the chrysin and oleocanthal work through two different routes in your body.

Anti-inflammatoryHeartJoints

Synergy
Garlic Garlic Honey Honey

Fermented: allicin + bee defensin in traditional condiment

Technical: Raw garlic contains alliin converted by alliinase to allicin — an organosulfur compound with bioactive properties — when cut. Raw honey contains hydrogen peroxide, bee defensin-1 and methylglyoxal. Fermenting garlic in honey increases bioavailability of S-allylcysteine (SAC), a more stable bioactive metabolite.

What does this mean for you? Submerge raw garlic cloves in raw honey and ferment for 2-4 weeks. You get a traditional condiment with concentrated bioactive compounds — an ancient fermentation technique that increases bioavailability.

Immune System

Synergy
Coconut Milk Coconut Milk Honey Honey

MCTs + prebiotics for gut flora and energy

Technical: Coconut milk contains lauric acid (MCT) that is quickly converted to energy. Honey contains prebiotic oligosaccharides (FOS) feeding beneficial gut bacteria. The combination offers quick energy plus gut flora support.

What does this mean for you? Add honey to coconut milk-based smoothies, chia puddings or warm drinks. The MCTs provide quick energy while the prebiotics feed your gut flora.

EnergyDigestionImmune System

Synergy
Olive Oil Olive Oil Garlic Garlic

Aglio e olio: allicin + oleocanthal via complementary biochemical pathways

Technical: Garlic contains allicin (formed when cutting/crushing) that influences HMG-CoA reductase (involved in lipid metabolism). Olive oil contains oleocanthal that modulates COX-1/2 enzymes. Together they influence lipid metabolism and prostaglandin cascade via complementary biochemical pathways. The fat also helps absorb fat-soluble garlic compounds.

What does this mean for you? Gently warm garlic in olive oil (don't burn!) as the base for many dishes. This is why 'aglio e olio' pasta is so beloved — two bioactive compounds that reinforce each other.

HeartImmune System

Absorption 4×
Olive Oil Olive Oil Tomato Tomato

Mediterranean golden rule: fat increases lycopene absorption 4x

Fat significantly increases lycopene bioavailability (PMID: 15927929)

Technical: Tomatoes contain lycopene (3-7mg per 100g), a carotenoid with strong antioxidant action. Lycopene is fat-soluble with only 10-15% absorption without fat. Olive oil increases this to 40-60% (2.5-4x improvement). Cooking further increases lycopene bioavailability.

What does this mean for you? Always add olive oil to tomato dishes — sauces, salads, bruschetta. This is why Mediterranean cuisine is so healthy. Cooked tomatoes with olive oil = maximum lycopene.

HeartSkin & Hair

Complementary
Onion Onion Garlic Garlic

More than 20 organosulfur compounds in one soffritto

Technical: Onion contains diallyl disulfide and quercetin (20-40mg/100g). Garlic contains allicin, ajoene and S-allylcysteine. Together they provide more than 20 different organosulfur compounds that modulate NF-κB. Allium crops are intensively studied in nutrition science for their unique sulfur chemistry.

What does this mean for you? Start every dish with sautéed onion and garlic — not just for flavor, but for the unique concentration of organosulfur compounds. Cut garlic 10 minutes before heating to allow allicin formation.

DigestionImmune System

Synergy
Onion Onion Tomato Tomato

Quercetin + lycopene: synergistic polyphenol-carotenoid combination

Technical: Quercetin from onion (20-40mg/100g) and lycopene from tomato (2573μg/100g) work through different mechanisms. Quercetin chelates metal ions and modulates lipid peroxidation, lycopene quenches singlet oxygen. Combined polyphenols and carotenoids work synergistically — the combination works through complementary mechanisms.

What does this mean for you? Tomato sauce with onion is the base of nearly every Mediterranean cuisine — and rightly so. Quercetin and lycopene enhance each other's action through complementary biochemical pathways. Cooking in olive oil makes carotenoids more absorbable.

HeartAnti-inflammatory

Synergy
Sea Salt Sea Salt Tomato Tomato

Minerals improve flavor perception and electrolyte balance

Technical: Sea salt contains trace minerals (magnesium, potassium, calcium) besides sodium. Tomato is rich in potassium (237mg/100g) and lycopene. Avocado adds magnesium (29mg) and potassium (485mg). Together they form a broad electrolyte profile: sodium (salt) + potassium (tomato/avocado) + magnesium (avocado) — essential for fluid balance and nerve function.

What does this mean for you? Sprinkle tomato and avocado with a pinch of sea salt. This is more than flavor — the minerals complement each other for a complete electrolyte balance.

HeartEnergy

Synergy
Sea Salt Sea Salt Olive Oil Olive Oil

Minerals + polyphenols for cellular balance

Technical: Sea salt's sodium is essential for the sodium-potassium pump (Na+/K+-ATPase) that regulates every body cell. Olive oil's oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol provide antioxidant protection for cell membranes. The combination supports cell integrity: sea salt regulates ion balance, olive oil protects the membrane. In Mediterranean cuisine, coarse sea salt + olive oil is the most basic flavor profile.

What does this mean for you? Freshly ground sea salt with extra virgin olive oil is the simplest and most nutritious finishing of any dish. The combination provides the basic needs of your cells: minerals for function, polyphenols for protection.

HeartGeneral Wellness

Absorption 2×
Black Pepper Black Pepper Olive Oil Olive Oil

Fat increases piperine absorption and enhances polyphenols

Technical: Piperine is fat-soluble and absorbed 2-3x better with dietary fat. Olive oil's oleocanthal and piperine both modulate COX signal transduction through different mechanisms, providing additive bioactive effect.

What does this mean for you? Grind fresh pepper over salads with olive oil dressing. The combination enhances both pepper absorption and bioactive action.

Anti-inflammatoryHeartDigestion

Ingredients (10) +8 more ingredients
Instructions
  1. 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. 2 Place the tomatoes, onion and garlic on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.
+6 more steps See all 8 steps — start free (30 days)
Nutrition per serving
220kcal
4gProtein
18gCarbs
16gFat

Indicative values per serving.

Timing & Suitability

  • Evening meal
  • Meal prep
  • Reheatable

Shelf life: 4 days in fridge

Tags & Diet

  • Dairy-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Halal
  • Nut-free
  • Paleo
  • Pescatarian
  • Vegetarian
  • tomato
  • basil
  • classic
  • comfort-food
  • roasted
  • creamy
  • meal-prep

Health Goals

  • Heart
  • Immune System
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Digestion