Creamy Tomato Soup
Written by joythebaker on November 13, 2009 – 1:41 am -
This big old bowl of tomatoes and cream is the best thing to ever come out of my kitchen.
So good. So right. I’m thinking of retiring. I’m thinking of hanging up the apron strings and ending on a high note. You know, like Seinfeld did in the 90’s.
But it’s just tomato soup? What could be so special about it? Let me explain.
Tomatoes. Top quality canned Italian tomatoes make all the difference in this soup. I got my hands on two giant cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes and they made this soup absolutely irresistable.
But they’re just tomatoes. Yes they’re just tomatoes… just the best canned tomatoes EVER!
San Marzano Tomatoes are a type of plum tomato with a thin skin, fewer seeds and an oh so sweet and less acidic tomato flavor. They’re like tomato bombs from heaven, except they don’t really explode and they’re from Naples, Italy where they’re grown at the base of Mount Vesuvius. For real… this actually happens. Tomatoes at the base of a volcano. Amazing. It’s the volcanic soil that filters out any water impurieties before they reach the plant. Rad. Want to make some kickass soup? Get your paws on these tomatoes, and I mean now!
Creamy Tomato Soup
adapted from Martha Stewart
serves 6
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, finely diced
course sea salt and fresh black pepper
splash of red wine vinegar (just over 1 Tablespoon)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 dried bay leaf
2 cans (14 1/2-ounces each) low sodium chicken broth
2 cans (28-ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes in juice (with basil if available)
1/2- 3/4 cup whole milk or cream
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven melt butter over medium heat. Add oil, carrot and onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent and the carrots are well on their way to softening, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the splash of vinegar at stir until cooked off.
Turn flame to low and add flour. Incorporate into the onion and carrots. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to distribute the paste and cook off the flour taste.
Add chicken broth and bay leaf.
With clean hands add the tomatoes to the pot, breaking the whole tomatoes up with your hands as you add the tomatoes and the juice. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat. Using an emulsion blender, puree soup in pot until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Maybe you like more chunks than some folks! If you don’t have an emulsion blender, let the soup cool for about 30 minutes and, working in two or three batches, puree some of the soup in a conventional blender until smooth. Place pureed soup in a bowl and puree the remainder in the pot.
Return pureed soup to the pot and stir in milk or cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Let cool to room temperature before dividing among airtight containers or jars (leaving 1 inch of space at the top) and freeze.
Tags: Creamy, recipe, Savory, soup, tomato
Posted in In the Kitchen, Recipes, Savory | 80 Comments »
This looks great! I made a recipe by Michael Chiarello for tomato soup and after you crushed the tomatoes with your hand, you sprinkled on sea salt and roasted them in the oven before adding them to the soup. Really fantastic! But now I am on a mission to get my hands on those San Marzano tomatoes!
Made this over the weekend and it is now officially my favorite tomato soup ever! I opted not to puree, I just left it chunky and it was awesome! We had it with grilled cheese sandwiches and it rocked my WORLD!! Thanks for a great recipe!
Your website is gorgeous and this soup looked so yummy that I had to make it! I wasn’t able to find the recommended tomatoes so I tried to buy higher-end stuff. The soup was tasty but a bit on the acidic side (I did sub veggie broth for the chicken broth but I’m not sure if that made any difference). Any suggestions as to how to cut the acid down on the left overs? My boyfriend tried adding baking soda to his second bowl and ended up with tomato soup soda (but it was less acidic):).
This was my first time making tomato soup from something other than a carton, and it was delicious!
I made Italian Truffle Cheese (Trader Joes! So GOOD!) grilled cheese sandwiches to eat with it. Perfect, perfect lunch.
Thanks Joy for the inspiration!
Now that Winter time is beginning to kick in here in London, I find soups perfect for helping me to beat the cold weather.
I have never made a soup before in my life, but it is about time I started and I might as well begin with one of my all time favourites. And hopefully my creamy of tomato soup will taste as good as yours looks.
oooo, since the weather around here is still insisting on keeping summer at bay maybe I can sneak one more soup recipe in! This soup looks/sounds delicious. (I absolutely love your top photo.) Can’t wait to try it. Cheers!
It’s cold and grey and damp here in London, so perfect soup weather. I’ve made a big batch of this, and dug some of the buttermilk biscuits out of the freezer – I cannot wait for dinner to be ready! How can something so simple taste so good?
Wow. I’m a week late to this post, but my husband has been whining for a year about lack of good tomato soup (his number one comfort food) in his life. This recipe is fabulous. Thanks.
i made this last night for dinner (minus carrots, because i accidentally ate all of them – oops!!)
it was still delicious, but i can’t wait to make it the right way
I found your site from Tasty Kitchen and I’m glad I did. I plan to make this soup. Of course I had to order several cans of tomatoes from the Cube first. I can’t wait to try the recipe and use those tomatoes. I make good homemade pasta sauce and I think these tomatoes will kick it up a notch.
Thank you!!!!
Phe.nom.e.nal.
Just made this soup yesterday. It was delicious. Thanks for posting!
[...] you, like so many on the East Coast, are snowed in for the foreseeable future, try this tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich for a cozy [...]
[...] Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese [...]
Did everyone who tried this recipe use the Italian canned tomatoes? Obviously quality will be sacrificed if not…but just curious how big the difference could be…
Going to try this recipe tomorrow! Cooking for 40 people….
A little late in replying (information), but for the person asking what ingredient can reduce the acidity in the soup….try adding some granulated sugar (I’ve also used brown sugar which darkens the soup a little) – both works. Add sugar in small increments and taste after each application – you don’t want to end up with very sweet soup. Same applies to the soda your friend used – too much of a good thing.
To remove some of the acidity from the tomatoes, add some granulated sugar (or even some brown sugar in a pinch – will cause soup to darken in color). Just a little…allow soup to absorb..taste again. Add more as needed. Not too much as you will end up with a too sweet soup.
[...] cold soup. Like: most soup. Love: um…. soup soup soup. I really like [...]