Creamy Tomato Soup | Recipe
This is a rich and decadent tomato soup featuring fire roasted tomatoes, fresh thyme and a basil garnish.
Here's the deal: I use to think I didn't like tomato soup. The only way I had ever experienced it was via a can being dumped into a pot on the stovetop and simmered until warm. It was my mom's method and even my grandmother's way as well. For my little tastebuds, it was lackluster, yet pungent all at the same time. Two qualities I could happily do without in any dish. It wasn't until adulthood, I tried a souped up version (pun intended, always) from one of my favorite restaurants in town. My eyes were opened and tastebuds awakened to the possibilities of a new favorite soup. It occurred to me that the canned version from my childhood was one dimensional. There was no true depth of flavor, so I designed my version to be bright and also deeply flavored by using fire roasted tomatoes and balancing that acidity with ingredients like savory thyme and heavy cream. Now, come the cold weather months, I find myself craving a cup of my creamy tomato soup alongside a melty grilled cheese sandwich. Please, enjoy.
2 tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion, diced
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
28 oz Crushed Tomatoes
14.5 oz Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
4 tsp Granulated Sugar
2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
2 c Unsalted Chicken Broth
1 Bay Leaf
4 Thyme Sprigs
1 tbsp Freshly Minced Basil, plus extra for garnish if desired
1 c Heavy Whipping Cream
Add olive oil to a Dutch oven or a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in onion and saute for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and saute 1-2 minutes longer. Add in the crushed and fire roasted tomatoes along with sugar, salt, pepper, broth, bay leaf and thyme. Allow to come to a simmer and reduce heat to medium low. Allow to briskly simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally.
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until almost completely smooth.Alternatively, ladle the soup into a food processor or blender, a couple cups at a time, and pulse. Take care not to let steam build up in either machine. This can be accomplished by removing the tube feed from either device and covering instead with a dish towel while pulsing.
Place the pulsed soup into a large mixing bowl until all of the soup has been processed. Return soup to the Dutch oven. Stir in the basil and cream and allow to simmer 10 minutes more. Remove from the heat, garnish with basil, serve and enjoy
Would pair well with:
