This Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup is rich and creamy, just like you get at the famous Nordstrom Restaurant.
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Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup
Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup
This very simple Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup is literally World Famous.
Anyone who has every shopped or even heard of Nordstrom’s Department Stores, knows about their Tomato Basil Soup.
Many Nordstrom Department Stores have their own restaurant, so hungry shoppers can have a nice meal and then return to their shopping. The Nortstrom in West LA was my stomping ground for years.
The Tomato Basil Soup is always served with a generous portion of their famous Parmesan Garlic Crostini. Thanks to the Nordstrom Blog, I was able to get their precious recipe and then covert it for the Pressure Cooker.
Cast of Ingredients for Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup
Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup is ridiculously easy and because it uses canned tomatoes, you can whip up a batch, whenever you like.
t also uses dried Basil, rather than Fresh Basil in the soup, but, there is a garnish of Fresh Basil for each serving bowl.
The Optional Ingredients on the Recipe Card, will take this Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup up a notch. However, please note that the taste will no longer be identical to Nordstrom Soup.
Weigh the Carrots and Onions
In reading some of the comments on the blog about the soup not tasting the same as the restaurant, I discovered that it is important to have equal amounts of carrots and onions.
So, I took out my trusty Bakers Math Scale and weighed 8 oz each.
Heat up the Pressure Cooker and Add Oil
Allow the Pressure Cooker to fully heat before you add the oil.
This is what makes a stainless steel pot, non-stick. Cold fat/hot pot! Remember that.
Sauté the Vegetables
Add the onion and carrots to the hot oil. Drop in the dried basil. Sauté the Vegetables until they begin to caramelize and get good color. This step adds so much flavor to the soup.
Dump in the cans of tomatoes and your Chicken Broth/Stock. I use my Pressure Cooker Homemade Chicken Bone Broth, which is very thick and gelled, so I water it down just a bit, before adding.
I did not want the broth to over power.
Vegetarians – use Vegetable Broth!
Add in some salt and pepper, but be mindful with your salt.
When I make my Pressure Cooker Homemade Chicken Bone Broth, I use zero salt. Boxed broth can be quite salty. I like to add less seasoning now and then adjust the final taste to my liking.
The Tomato Basil Soup is ready to blend
Nordstrom simmers their soup for about 40 minutes.
This Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup only gets a few minutes under pressure. Not to shabby!
Use an Immersion Blender
Use an Immersion Hand Blender to blend everything together and make a very smooth soup.
If you prefer a thicker soup, you can keep the pot on simmer, until you reach the consistency you desire.
Very Smooth and Luxurious Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup
Look at that soup. It is gorgeous! Put your pot back into the Pressure Cooker, so that it stays nice and warm.
If you don’t want any cream, you can certainly eat this now, as is.
Add some Fresh Basil
If you love basil, go a head and add some here, otherwise, just use it as a garnish.
Slowly and carefully, pour in the Cream
The cream can be added with the ingredients and pressure cooked at the same time.
If using half and half, that would get added after the pressure cook time has completed.
Pour the cream into the blended Pressure Cooker Norstrom Tomato Basil Soup and allow to simmer gently, just enough to warm the bot back up.
Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference
Taste the soup and add salt and pepper to your liking. Make sure you have made some Nordstrom Parmesan Garlic Crostini to enjoy with your Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup.
Individual Servings of Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup
This makes a TON of Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup. I like to store my soup in individual servings, using my FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System.
It comes in so handy and I’ve been able to make all kinds of soup and other hot meals and then just pop it in my Pressure Cooker to quickly heat and then enjoy.
Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup
Serve with Nordstrom Parmesan Garlic Crostini.
I sometimes like to sink a Crostini, right into the middle of my soup bowl. Another delicious soup to try is my Pressure Cooker Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana (Italian Soup).
More Soup Recipes to Love.
Pressure Cooker Broccoli Cheddar Soup ~Low Carb Keto
Pressure Cooker Armenian Lentil Soup
Pressure Cooker Chicken Marsala Mushroom Soup
Pressure Cooker Chinese Hot and Sour Soup
Pressure Cooker Low Carb Manhattan Clam Chowder Soup
Pressure Cooker Americana Wedding Soup
Pressure Cooker Chicken Marsala Mushroom Soup
Kathy and Heather, sorry it took me so long to get this posted!
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot DUO 6 Quart
- J.A. Henckels Classic 7-inch Hollow Edge Santoku Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Cilio Olivewood Spatula
- Rachael Ray Stoneware EVOO Oil Dispensing Bottle
- Alton Brown Salt Box
- Bellemain Porcelain Ramekins
- My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
- Bakers Math Scale
- Bamix Immersion Hand Blender
- Nordstrom Parmesan Garlic Crostini
- Foodsaver Automatic Vaccum System
Caring is sharing! If you would like to support This Old Gal, please share this recipe on Social Media, so that I can continue to bring you more wonderful recipes!
Here is the handy printable recipe:
Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup
Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup
Print Pin Save RateIngredients
- 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 8 oz Carrots peeled and chopped
- 8 oz Yellow/Brown Onion chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Basil
- 3 28 oz cans Whole Tomatoes in Purée Italian style
- 1 cup Chicken Stock/Broth
- 1-1.5 cup(s) Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt or 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Basil leaves cut into fine ribbons
Optional Ingredients (No Longer Nordstrom)
- 2 oz Parmesan Cheese
- 1 TBL Premium Fish Sauce (or Worcestershire Sauce)
- 2 teaspoons White Sugar
Instructions
- Chop up the carrots and onions.
- Select Sauté or Browning on your Pressure Cooker cooking pot and allow to fully heat.
- Add oil and then add carrots, onions and dried basil. Sauté for 4 minutes, or until vegetables start to caramelize and the onions become a bit translucent.
- Add canned tomatoes, chicken broth, cream, salt and pepper. If using Optional Ingredients, add them now.
- Lock on Lid and close Pressure Valve. Cook at High Pressure for 5 minutes. When Beep is heard, allow a full Natural Pressure Release.
- Remove lid. Use an immersion blender and blend until soup is smooth. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper, if needed. Garnish with Fresh Basil
- Serve with Nordstrom Parmesan Garlic Crostini.
Notes
Nutrition
PIN this Pressure Cooker Nordstrom Tomato Basil Soup {Tomato Bisque}!
Why do you use only one cup of broth, but the original recipe calls for 1 quart?
Amazing 🤩
This soup has been my favorite for years. I would order it every time I am at Nordstrom Cafe.
Unfortunately due to the pandemic, can’t have it anymore. So I gave this recipe a try to see if it is what it is? And yes it is!!!
Love love love it. We even made the crostini with my daughter and they were perfect!
Thank you so much Jill! 😊
Hi Gina. I am so glad you enjoyed the soup and crostini. Thank you so much. Jill
I’ve tried making this recipe several times in my instant pot and I get a burn notice so then I just switch to the crockpot mode. Still turns out delicious. Do you have any suggestions to prevent this? I’m not sure if maybe I’m doing something wrong.
Thanks
Hi Denise. You’ve given me no information to go by. If you would like some help, I would need to know what you did. Jill
If I were to use fresh tomatoes. How many tomatoes (in pounds) and how would the chicken broth/water measurement change?
Easy and delicious
Hi there, quick question. I’m a bit confused about when to add the cream – the recipe “card” has it going in with all the other ingredients before pressure cooking, but further up in the blog post you mention adding the cream after it’s been cooked and blended. If either way works, does it taste different one way or another? What is generally recommended? Hoping to make this tonight if you get a chance to answer. 🙂 Thanks!
If you use heavy cream, either way is fine. Half and Half and light cream would curdle and should be added after pressure cooking.
This soup is really satisfying! As well as super easy and tasty. I skip the cream and add it as I reheat as I freeze remaining portions in Ball Mason jars for lunches. Going to make some more today!
I have a LOT of fresh tomatoes right now. Any idea if they could be used instead of canned?
Yes, no problem. Jill
Do you have nutrition available for this recipe?
Hi, how long do you allow the Natural release for?
I do not have an immersion hand blender. What should I do instead?
Can I use the crushed tomatoes for this?
This sounds like a wonderful recipe! I have 2 questions, please. I have an 8 quart IP. Would I be able to double this recipe? Also, in order to freeze this, would I freeze it before I add the cream/ half and half? Then add the cream when I want to warm it up?
Evelyn, if it fits, it is okay. I would freeze before adding cream. Jill
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It was so delicious and amazingly easy – two things that I love. I didn’t have any dried or fresh basil, so after blending, I stirred in a frozen cube of pesto. Worked really well!
Can this recipe be doubled in the instant Pot? If so do you use the same proportions?
Just made this for my kids on a cold icy day. They said this is the best soup they have ever had. A little fresh basil and Parm made it perfect! Thanks for the recipe!
Wonderful, Adriana. So glad this was enjoyed. Jill
Hello! I’m a newbie to the IP community. I’m giving this recipe a shot. Looks yummy! It is in the natural release stage, going on 20 minutes. How long does the natural release usually take with this recipe? Thanks in advance!!
Is this recipe for an 8qt pot? I tried making in a 6qt and it was too full, had to take some out and start over to get it to come to pressure. I am cooking it now. Sure hope it’s good, since I have to do it in 2 batches!
I don’t see that kind of tomatoes in my store. Is there some other kind I can use? This looks delicious and I want to try it (hopefully today!). Thanks for your great site.
Shannon, just check the labels on the cans and try to find some that say imported from Italy. Otherwise, just buy the best brand you can afford. In this instance, brand does make a difference. Jill
I can’t get these tomatoes here in Canada. Would another brand be ok?
Yes. Jill
I see them at no frills…check the ethnic/specialty food section . They’re not always with the canned tomatoes.
You show soup vacuum sealed in bags. How do you seal a liquid?? I NEED to do this. ?
Hi Erin. I have my FoodSaver on top of an over the stove cutting board, so that the bag with liquid sits lower. The gravity keeps the soup below the FoodSaver. It works really well. Jill
Wow perfect …..great tip thanks
Enjoy, Donna. Thank you. Jill
Made this tonight. It came out perfect! The only bummer thing was that my immersion blender died. 🙁 So I had to blend it up in my Vitamix. 🙂
Very good. Will make it again.
I’m making this for an IP soup exchange. Can you tell me how many quarts this makes?
They didnt have the brand tomatoes mentioned at walmart. I got hunts whole peeled tomatoes, but it dont mention if they are in puree or not. Should I some sauce or anything to them? Thank you!
Jane, they are probably in puree. Jill
I have a TON of fresh tomatoes. Can I sub these for canned, or will the taste be off and too acidic? Thanks!
Can you use fresh tomatoes in this recipe? If so, how many? Equal to the amount in the cans?
Recipe turned out well. Enjoyed by most at our shared meal at Church this afternoon. Thank you, Jill for another tasty easy to follow meal.
Jill, I am planning to make this for a shared meal after Church tomorrow. Trying to figure out the best method for there being 2 hours from when I can start the IP cooking to when I am going to serve the soup. Am I better off leaving it on “Keep Warm” setting for long term or would it be better to do a delayed start? It would be a total guess as to how long it would need to come to pressure, so not even sure how long of a delay I should use. Thanks for another delicious sounding recipe. Hopefully it is enjoyed by all tomorrow.
Hi Beth. You will need to use an immersion blender after pressure is released, so don’t forget to figure that in. You could leave it on warm or you could cook it and then warm it up when needed. Jill
I followed the recipe exactly. It took over an hour for a full natural release. Is this normal? Is something wrong with my instant pot?
Hello, Jill! I am a big fan of my IP and your revipes!
This soup looks great and I would like to make it too. However, I have a couple of questions.
First, do you think I can make it using only fresh tomatoes from my garden since I have a lot right now? And secondly, I have tons of fresh basil too- could I use just that instead of dried basil?
Thanks!
Someone above said they used 3 lbs. of fresh tomatoes (quartered) instead of the cans. I plan on doing this since I’m overloaded wth fresh tomatoes from my garden.
Can you make this with fresh tomatoes? If so how long in the pressure cooker?
Fresh tomatoes and fresh basil (and tons of basil; I’ve learned that you cannot overdo fresh basil) is the ticket for me. I’ll try it sometime and report back! Not that I’m any expert, mind you. I just got my IP yesterday!! But I’ve made tomato/red pepper soup on the stove and it’s to die for.
I made your Greek yogurt last night (the first recipe I’ve ever made in my IP!) and it turned out great! Tonight I tried the soup but it took forever to get to pressure/preheat. What I thought would be 5 minutes was more like 1/2hour! Is this normal or is my pot not functioning correctly?
Hi Eliza~
Glad you enjoyed the yogurt. Pressure cookers take time to come up to pressure (ovens take time to get to temp) and then they need time to release pressure (the recipe says to allow a Full Natural Release), which could be any amount of time. Had you made this on the stove, the simmering of the soup, would have taken over one hour. Have fun cooking and experimenting.
Jill
Could I replace heavy cream with plain yogurt?
Could I double this in the 8 quart (as in, will it fit?)? And if so, do I change the cooking time at all? Can’t wait to try it!
This is a wonderful recipe for adaptation to the Instant Pot. Thank you so very much! We have used your recipe several times but I would be remiss if I did not let you in on 2 tips:
Tip 1: Add 2 Tablespoons medium grain white rice to the pot with the stock and tomatoes. When blended, this gives the soup a luxuriously silky texture just like Nordstrom’s. It also thickens it just a bit. They might use rice or rice flour as a secret ingredient here.
Tip 2: As it it increasingly difficult to find quality but affordable San Marzano whole tomatoes, I would suggest adding 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to this tomato mixture AFTER a taste test (before adding cream) and mixing it in thoroughly so all foaminess subsides before tasting again and considering adding any sugar. This greatly reduces the tart/acid taste from canned tomatoes while still allowing the brightness of the tomato flavor to shine through. Too many home cooks just add sugar because that’s what their grandma & mom did, 😉 x
Hi Jerome~
The carrots will add the sweetness in place of sugar too. I often add them to my tomato sauce recipes. I am glad you enjoy the soup.
Jill
Newbie here…I am so confused! I used three cans of tomato puree instead of tomatoes in puree. I put the pot on high pressure for five minutes, and the little valve never popped up, so I’m assuming that means it didn’t come to pressure. But after a few minutes, the five minute timer started, and after the five minutes was over, it said L000 and now I have no idea what’s going on. I am so discouraged! What should I do?
Katie, tomato puree is much thicker than canned tomatoes, which has more liquid. Sounds like you scorched the bottom of your cooking pot. I would remove the ingredients and wash the cooking pot and then start again. This time, add additional liquid to make up for using puree. Jill
I’m a newbie too. I’m pretty sure you were okay. Once the pot is up to pressure, the timer starts counting down from whatever time you set it for, and then it goes to L000 and counts UP from there to tell you how long it’s been on keep warm and naturally releasing pressure – so at one minute on warm/NPR it would say L001, then L002…and so on. The first time I made this soup (last night) I was reading all of the comments here while I was waiting for my pot to come to pressure. I saw your comment and when mine did the same thing I thought I screwed up too. One lady told you you scorched your soup, so I thought I did too! So I did a quick release thinking my soup was scorched – but as I’m waiting for all the pressure to release I realize the L000 was a normal thing….long story short…I kept it at keep warm for about 20 min. and didn’t take the lid off while I got my garlic bread ready and we still ate it. It was good. I have nothing to compare it to as I have never had the Nordstrom soup before and it was my first time making it, so I can’t say that if I would’ve allowed a full NPR like the directions say if it would’ve tasted any better. Annnyyywwwaaayss!
I can’t find the tomatoes you use so was wondering if you can use diced tomatoes with a little tomato sauce for the puree? Thanks
Shelly
Hi Shelly~
Any brand works, but if you want it to be just like Nordstrom, I would go with the whole, rather than the sauce. Jill
I love your post and your compassion for the Sweet Lady in the Park. Very Sweet of you. I also want to make your soup recipe for I have fond memories of the Tomato Baisel Soup. However, I do not have a Instant Pot and at this point can not afford. What would I do to make the soup the old fashioned way. Thank you. BTW Your links are very helpful
Hi Holly~
You could make the soup on the stove and let it simmer until it is done. Add 1/4 cup more chicken broth for the stove method. Jill
Quick question! How do you vacuum seal soups?? I also have a food saver and I haven’t been able to figure it out yet.
Thanks!
Hi Jennifer~
I have my Foodsaver on a cutting board, so that the bag with the soup is below the machine and gravity takes over. Jill
My vacuum sealer is basic without a liquid option, but to do this – I often carefully position (often in a cake pan) open vacuum bags with cooled foods in the freezer to ‘pre-freeze’ (works best if foods are first refrigerated). Length depends on volume of liquids (sometimes 24 hrs if forgotten). But because its in for so short it won’t freezer burn, but as a frozen chunk it vacuums well.
Hi Jill!
Do you know if this would work well with fresh tomatoes? I try to stay away from canned goods if I can. Thanks!
Ashley
I just made this with fresh tomatoes and it was excellent. I replaced the canned tomatoes with 3 lbs of fresh ones, cut into fourths. I did not peel. I don’t know how different this is in taste from using the canned ones, but as long as fresh tomatoes are in season I have no reason to find out. Thanks for another great recipe!
This soup is absolutely delicious! Thank you so much! I never want to run out of it. I’ve had it for breakfast too! 🙂
After you sealed this soup in the food saver bags. Did you freeze them or did you just keep it refrigerated? Its a very delicious soup I will make it again!
Hi RaNae~
I froze the packages of soup. So glad you enjoyed the soup!
Jill
Do you freeze it with the cream or half &a half, and if so does it archangel the texture when you thaw it?
Hi Judy~
You could add the cream as needed. Jill
I would love to make this but if I cut the recipe in half. Do I need adjust the cooking time?
Made this soup last night and LOVED it! You are my go to source for my new Instant Pot–love your lemon cheesecake recipe!
Hi Janna~
I am so glad you enjoyed the soup. Thank you for the nice compliment.
Jill
Do you think I could replace the heavy cream with coconut milk?
Zahra~
Absolutely you can replace the cream. It will of course change the taste.
Jill
I notice that you vacuum seal liquids like this wonderful soup, your pumpkin puree etc. Please tell me how you make that perfect little package with liquid. My foodsaver would vacuum out all the soup!
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes and information. I’m a newbie at Instant Pot and I am so very glad I found your website. Not only are your recipes delicious, your instructions are very good too. A big help when you are just learning pressure cooking.
Hi Sylvia~
I have my Foodsaver raise up on a cutting board, so that the bag is lower than the machine and the weight of the liquid falls to the bottom of the bag.
Jill
Oh..so you don’t vacuum it…just seal it. I get it. Thanks again. I’ll be a frequent visitor to your site.
I’ll pin you too ????
Sylvia~
I do vacuum it with the Foodsaver. I push the wet food button.
Jill
I make a great Tomato Basil Pesto soup, so I thought I’d try it in the Instant Pot with your recipe. I did use my pesto instead of dried basil, which added some garlic taste – and we all love that. So, in the end it was a delicious recipe. However…I gave up waiting on NPR after 20 minutes, and did a quick release for the remainder of the pressure (which wasn’t much). Is it normal for something like this to take so long to NPR? That’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to learn – patience – waiting for NPR. I have started noting it on my recipes, so I know that a 5 minute pressure recipe does not mean I will be eating in 10 minutes.
It was almost 50 minutes when I heard the pin drop..
Is it any faster if you have to wait that long for the pin to drop? What is the reason for the full NR?
Ok, joining the instant pot world! Yikes!!!! Excited to try your recipes!
I have never had Nordstrom’s Tomato soup so I can’t say if it does or doesn’t taste like it, but I can say that I do think the soup is delicious. It was perfect for a cold windy evening, and easy to make as well. I will be making this again. I am new to the Instant Pot world but most of the recipes I have made so far are from this site and I have been very happy with the results!
Hi Lori~
I am so glad you enjoyed the soup! Thank you so much for the kind comments.
Jill