Instant Pot Copycat Panera Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Why make Instant Pot Copycat Panera Creamy Tomato Basil Soup at home?

This is a fast, easy, homemade Copycat Panera Tomato Soup. Why make this at home? So many reasons!

• It is SO much cheaper! You can make a whole pot of this (about 6 “cup”-sized servings of the soup) for around the cost of a bowl of soup at the restaurant. So if you are a fan, why not enjoy more for less!
• It is beyond easy! Seriously, this is such a low-maintenance recipe that you really would have to work to mess it up. It is mostly pantry staples…you may even have all the items in your house right now. With minimal effort this dish can by on your table.
• You can customize it to your liking (see more below).
• Avoid the lines, and hassle. I love Panera, don’t get me wrong, or, more so, I loved the Panera near our old house. It always had super-fast lines, order ahead went smooth and the patio space had a gorgeous view. Then, we moved. Our new Panera, sigh…. Even when indoor dining was a thing, they took f–o–r–e–ver (you get it!). Pick-up is a similar no-parking available nightmare. To the point, it just isn’t worth it. Especially when I can make a great version of the same soup at home.

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Is Instant Pot Copycat Panera Creamy Tomato Basil Soup Vegetarian or Vegan Friendly?

VEGETARIAN: Yes! This dish is 100% Vegetarian-friendly. No substitutions need to be made to make this dish vegetarian.

How to Customize Instant Pot Creamy Tomato Basil Soup?

• tomatoes Since this dish is going to be pureed, you could substitute 2, 28oz cans of diced tomatoes and skip the can on crushed tomatoes
• garlic powder could be substituted with minced fresh garlic
• vegetable broth could be substituted with chicken or beef broth if you aren’t trying to keep the dish vegetarian
• sugar you could halve or omit this if you are trying to watch your sugars (add a tiny bit at the end if you feel it is needed, but I often omit it entirely and the soup still turns out great).
• add herbs the basil is really all this soup NEEDS; however, some fresh oregano or rosemary might be interesting additions
• butter definitely substitute an olive oil spread such as smart balance if you like, it will not affect the soup at all
• hot sauce I used my favorite, some other great ones would be Rocky Top (if you like it HOT) or Lillie’s if you prefer more of a medium.

What should I serve with Instant Pot Copycat Panera Creamy Tomato Basil Soup?

There are a lot of options. Some great ones would include:

• Toppings Croutons, parmesan cheese, shredded basil
• Breadsticks Our Copycat Little Caesars Cheesy Bread would be great with this
• Grilled Cheese You could make this as plain as singles on slices or go full on gourmet with all your favorite fancy toppings
• Mozzarella Sticks You wouldn’t even need the marinara side dish, you could dip them right into the soup
• Calzones Try these Almost Instant Calzones for a super-fast side dish
• Salad Something light and fresh like a spinach salad with grilled cheese would make a great light dinner
• Roasted Vegetables try these Lemon Roasted Vegetables for a light fresh meal
• Baked Potatoes topped however you like
• Bread this slow cooker Rosemary Sea Salt Bread would be a perfect choice

Instant Pot Copycat Panera Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

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Servings 4 servings

Equipment

• pressure cooker
• immersion blender or blender

Ingredients

  

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 T granulated sugar
• 20 basil leaves
• 3 T butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Hot sauce to taste
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and set to sauté. Add the onion and garlic powder and sauté until beginning to soften.
• Turn off the Instant Pot. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, sugar, basil and broth.
• Set to High Pressure for 5 minutes. When cooking is done allow a 5 minute natural release and then allow a natural release of pressure for 5 minutes and then quick release any remaining pressure.
• Stir in the butter, heavy cream, hot sauce, salt & pepper.
• Once the butter is melted and everything is combined, use an immersion blender to smooth out the soup.
• Serve warm topped with croutons, parmesan or additional hot sauce.

Notes

If you do not have an immersion blender, you can transfer the soup, in batches to a food processor to puree.