Homemade Tomato Soup

I grew up with Campbell’s soup. Our pantry was always stocked with several different varieties but the favorite by far was their tomato soup. It was great for a hot simple lunch that we would have with some crackers or a grilled cheese. Once my mother trusted us with using the stove, we could easily make it ourselves when she had to work late or study for a class that she was taking at the local college. The years of course past and when I married and had a family of my own, I found I preferred to make my own homemade soups.

Soup is easy to make and with little effort you end up with this big pot of goodness. I simply love soup. It is good for you and at the same time a warming food that comforts you at the end of a long day. AND when you can make a big batch of it you can enjoy it again the next night when it tastes even better!

The thing is for years I was making from scratch every kind of soup under the sun except tomato soup. I was still buying the old canned stand by. Why?? Well I asked myself that very question and finally broke down and made a homemade tomato soup.

Lets just say there is a difference. A big difference. Why I waited so long I will never know. It became a quest to make the perfect tomato soup. I tried several different recipes and narrowed it down to two. Here I present you with one of the two. It is a simple recipe that will remind you of the ready-made version we all grew up with….. but so much better.

The other recipe I will share with you at some point down the road.

 Homemade Tomato Soup

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Homemade Tomato Soup

Serve with a hearty bread, croutons, crackers or a grilled cheese.

Author Cakewalk Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves - chopped
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary chopped - about 1 1/2 teaspoons
• 6 cups of chicken stock
• 2 - 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup heavy cream - optional
• olive oil - 2 to 3 tablespoons
• kosher salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Drizzle some olive oil into your favorite soup stock pot. Add the chopped onions and saute on medium heat until soft. Make sure you stir frequently so the onions do not burn. About 5 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and rosemary to the pot. Stir and cook for another minute or two. Try not to brown the garlic. Add in a little more olive oil if needed.
3. Add in the tomatoes with the juice and the chicken stock along with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer the soup uncovered for about 20 minutes.
4. Take the soup off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Then with an immersion blender puree the soup until smooth. You can transfer the soup into a traditional blender or a food processor to puree the soup. If you do so, puree in small batches.
5. Put the soup back on the heat and stir in the cream. Continue to gently heat for about 5 minutes and then taste for salt and pepper. The soup should be nice and flavorful so if it is not, it probably does need additional salt. Add some in a pinch at a time.

Recipe Notes

The cream is optional and will still taste great without it. I add it just because it does add a little more body to the soup but if I do not have any on hand or if I am in a watching my calories mode, I just leave it out. 🙂

Substitutions:

• Vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
• Dried rosemary for the fresh (use less of the dried).
• Whole canned tomatoes instead of the diced.
• Salt - Highly recommend cooking with kosher salt but if you only have table salt on hand feel free to use it - but add in less of it then taste.

Variations:

• Add in rice, beans, or a small pasta such as orzo.