• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Recipe Index
  • About Le Chef's Wife
  • Press
  • Contact

Le Chef's Wife logo

  • Start Here
  • Soup Sunday
  • Riviera Recipes
  • Entertaining
  • Boutique
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Start Here
  • Riviera Recipes
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Published: Mar 28, 2021 · Modified: Sep 25, 2023 by Anina Belle Giannini

    Simple Provençal Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese Tartines

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    J'Adore! Would you like to save this recipe?

    We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

    Few things are as comforting as a rich tomato soup on a rainy day. This Simple Provençal Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese Tartines is a family favorite and gives a South of France spin to the American Classic. Adding basil pesto (or fresh basil if it is in season) to the soup at the last minute brings a brightness to the dish that harkens Provence. Paired with a thick slice of garlicky grilled baguette, slathered with creamy tangy goat cheese and you have the perfect morsel to dunk, over and over again.

    You will find this soup quick and easy to throw together and the cooking skill required for this recipe is very minimal. For me, Tomato Soup is a quick meal so while I appreciate the effort involved, I rarely roast the tomatoes in advance and prefer to use canned crushed tomatoes, especially if it is not tomato season. This soup can be ready in under 30 minutes.

    Tips for making Simple Tomato Pesto Soup with Goat Cheese Tartines

    1. Allow your onions and garlic to soften in the olive oil at medium heat with the thyme. This will add a delicious richness to the soup
    2. I like to add a couple carrots for extra nutrients ( a habit formed while feeding a toddler!) They also bring a little sweetness to the soup.
    3. Add the cream and the basil at the very end, just before mixing.
    4. For the baguette slices, rub both sides with garlic before browning, it brings so much more flavor to each bite.
    5. Make as many baguette slices as you can fit in your pan - they are highly addictive!

    Equipment Needed:

    Soup Pot or Dutch Oven with at least 8 QT capacity (I love my Le Creuset Stock Pot or Dutch Oven for this soup)

    Immersion blender (like this one by Kitchen Aid) or else a blender that you can pour the soup into.

    How to Serve:

    I like to serve my Provençal Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese Tartines piping hot, especially on a rainy day! You will also make a double batch of the soup and freeze the leftovers. This soup can be kept for months in the freezer, ready for you to heat up whenever the inspiration strikes.

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

    Simple Provençal Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese Tartines

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
    • Author: Anina Belle Gianini
    • Prep Time: 5
    • Cook Time: 25
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 4-6 1x
    • Category: Soup
    • Cuisine: French
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    This Simple Provençal Tomato Soup with Goat Cheese Tartines is a family favorite and gives a South of France spin to the American Classic. Adding basil pesto (or fresh basil if it is in season) to the soup at the last minute brings a brightness to the dish that harkens Provence. Paired with a thick slice of garlicky grilled baguette, slathered with creamy, tangy goat cheese and you have the perfect morsel to dunk, over and over again.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    For the Soup:

    3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

    1 cup chopped onion

    2 cloves chopped garlic

    2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or one teaspoon dried thyme)

    4 cups chicken stock ( or vegetable for a vegetarian version of the soup)

    1 can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz)

    2 medium sized carrots, chopped

    2 teaspoons French Salt & 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

    ½ cup of heavy cream

    3 tablespoons of Pesto 

    Goat Cheese Tartines:

    8 thick slices of French Baguette (or any crusty bread that you have on hand - if it is sandwich loaf use 4 slices)

    3 cloves of garlic, split length-wise

    3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

    4 oz soft goat cheese 


    Instructions

    For the Soup:

    Heat the olive oil over medium heat

    Add the onions, garlic and thyme. Let cook for 5 minutes until onions are translucent. Stir in the chicken stock (0r vegetable stock), tomatoes, carrots, salt & pepper. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for for 15 minutes.

    Turn off the heat.  Remove the sprigs of thyme (if you used fresh thyme) and discard. Add the cream and pesto. Mix with an immersion blender. Serve.

    For the Goat Cheese Tartines:

    While the soup is simmering on the stove, slice a Baguette into 8, ¾ inch slices. 

    Rub each slice, back and front, with the halved garlic cloves.

    Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the used garlic cloves and bread slices to the warm oil. Let the slices get golden brown (about 2-3 minutes) then drizzle the remaining olive oil over the bread and flip over to brown the other side (another 2-3 minutes). Your kitchen should smell amazing now!

    Remove the bread from the pan and allow to cool a few minutes while you finish the soup.

    Slather each slice with goat cheese and serve. The tartines are perfect for dunking in the soup!


    Notes

    1. Allow your onions and garlic to soften in the olive oil at medium heat with the thyme. This will add a delicious richness to the soup
    2. I like to add a couple carrots for extra nutrients ( a habit formed while feeding a toddler!) They also bring a little sweetness to the soup.
    3. Add the cream and the basil at the very end, just before mixing.
    4. For the baguette slices, rub both sides with garlic before browning, it brings so much more flavor to each bite.
    5. Make as many baguette slices as you can fit in your pan - they are highly addictive!

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @lechefswife on Instagram

    Au plaisir,

    Le Chefs Wife Logo

    More Recipes

    • merguez sandwich with piperade sauce and taboule
      Gourmet BBQ Recipes
    • Le Chef's wife family in the kitchen making bread
      French Mother's Day Recipes
    • Leeks fondue with seared scallops displayed in a blue le creuset pot
      Leek Fondue with Seared Scallops
    • fancy cream of cauliflower soup with roasted cauliflower
      Soup Sunday Challenge

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kelsey O. says

      November 03, 2024 at 9:54 pm

      This is one of my favorite soup recipes! It’s truly so simple and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. We didn’t have baguettes but loved pairing it with homemade sourdough bread that we baked the day we made this recipe. It’s now in our regular soup rotation!

      Reply
    2. Cynde says

      October 17, 2024 at 2:37 pm

      I just made this soup. It is so delicious! I love how the carrots take the acidic edge off the tomatoes and the pesto adds that certain something. I used mini melba toasts instead of the baguette for the goat cheese tartines which were delicious and added some great crunch when floated on top of the soup like croutons. Then the goat cheese got all melty from the soup...mmmm. Thanks for a great tomato soup recipe!

      Reply
      • Anina Belle Giannini says

        October 17, 2024 at 4:49 pm

        This makes me so happy to read! thank you for taking the time to leave a note. Very much appreciated. Bon appétit!

        Anina Belle

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    Primary Sidebar

    Bonjour. If you are looking for French Recipes, made simple, you are in the right place! I translate the fancy cooking of my French Chef husband into easy-to-follow recipes that busy people with no culinary training, like me, can cook. From French Baguettes to French Riviera classic recipes, I invite you to learn French cooking with me.

    More about me →


    Follow Me On

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Popular

    • homemade French baguettes piled up on a striped cotton towl
      Quick Easy French Baguettes (Baking Baguettes for Beginners)

    • a bowl of leek soup with sauteed leeks as a garnish
      Magical Leek Soup

    • oven roasted bone in ribeye steak with potato skewers
      Bone in Ribeye Steak Recipe

    • Branzino on a plate with Vierge Sauce made of tomatoes, capers, shallots, olives and basil
      Mediterranean Branzino Filet Recipe with Vierge Sauce

    • poulet roti - roast chicken with lemon and thyme and garlic fresh out of the oven
      Lemon Thyme French Roast Chicken (Poulet Rôti)

    • french crepe with blueberry compote
      Easy French Crêpes Recipe


    Fall Recipes

    • french onion Soup gratinée in a white bowl with wine
      Le Chef's French Onion Soup Gratinée

    • Parisian Potato salad on a plate with mixed greens and a glass of white wine
      La Salade Parisienne - the best French Potato Salad

    • coq au vin blanc , a chicken stew with white wine, pork belly, celery, onions, mushrooms, parsley
      Coq au Vin Blanc

    • Turkey au vin and mashed potatoes with red wine
      Turkey au Vin

    • Petits Farcis Niçois
      Les Petits Farcis Niçois (or Petits Farcis à la Provençale)

    • 2 pots of French chocolate mousse with chocolate shavings
      Mousse au Chocolat (French Chocolate Mousse made simple)



    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    My Favorites

    • french onion Soup gratinée in a white bowl with wine
    • homemade French baguettes piled up on a striped cotton towl
    • Le Chef's Wife in her kitchen in front of a row of pots and pans

    Search

    Follow

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Featured In


    Privacy Policy Accessibility Policy

    Copyright © 2020 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme