Favorite Creamy Tomato Soup Recipe
There’s something about tomato soup that reminds me of my Italian youth - cauldrons of thick tomato sauce bubbling on the stove for hours on a Sunday afternoon in preparation for Sunday dinner. Sprinklings of fresh basil and oregano. Was there ever an Italian-American girl who didn't grow up on meatballs, pasta, and homemade marinara sauce? It was sacrilegious to buy sauce out of a jar. Ragu? A cuss word. Only homemade would suffice. My blood is probably half tomatoes at this point - it’s in my genes and always will be.
For years and years, I’ve made this recipe with good quality Italian canned tomatoes, but now I make it with our own cherry tomatoes, freshly picked and then roasted. Gamechanger. The tomato flavor is unparalleled. So if you have fresh or preserved tomatoes from your garden, use them, but don’t hesitate to enjoy this soup all fall and winter with good quality canned tomatoes!
Favorite Creamy Homemade Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
(2) 14oz cans chopped tomatoes (my favorite brand is La San Marzano from Italy that comes with a basil leaf inside) or 4 cups of roasted fresh cherry tomatoes
A few tbs extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2-3 celery stalks celery, diced
2-3 carrots, diced
2 medium yellow onions, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth (or a giant scoop of Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base, or the Garlic Base for vegetarian)
3-4 Tbs tomato paste
2 bay leaves, optional
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (could also add rosemary and sage)
Directions:
Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Alternately, if using fresh cherry tomatoes, spread them onto a baking sheet (no need to slice first), drizzle generously with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Try to resist popping them directly in your mouth and eating the whole pan (they taste like candy!) before they make it into the soup!
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, tomato paste, bay leaf and butter. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and raw cream if you’d like {but the recipe is already so creamy, it doesn't really need cream!}
Remove the bay leaves and discard.
Puree soup a hand held immersion blender, or let it cool slightly and ladle in batches into a regular blender and puree until smooth. Make sure you hold the blender top down tight, or it will splatter everywhere...trust me!
Serving suggestions:
Serve with my Easiest Homemade Bread Ever slathered with Norah’s Garlic Herb Butter and a side of meatballs.
If you make sourdough, you can also make super easy sourdough discard flatbreads, pictured in this photo. Heat a pan on medium with olive oil or butter. Add a scoop of sourdough discard and spread out like a pancake. Season with sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I also like to add Herbes de Provence and nutritional yeast or grated parmesan. Once bubbles start forming, flip it over and cook for a few more minutes until golden. Remove with spatula onto a cutting board and slice into triangles.
