The Best Tomato Soup
Make the best carrot soup. Then add tomato sauce.
For Annette, and Joy.
Carrots balance the acid of the tomatoes and salt brings out all the delicious tomatoey flavor.
Just the Recipe | 4 Servings
Ingredients
1 TBS Vegetable Oil
1 TBS Butter
1 Yellow Onion
4 Carrots
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
3 Cups Chicken Stock -or- 1 1/2 TBS Chicken Better than Bullion + 3 Cups Water
28oz Tomato Sauce -or- Whole Tomatoes
Garnish:
1/2 TBS Olive Oil
1 Slice of Bread
Seasonings (Granulated Garlic, Paprika, Dried Oregano)
Chives
Shredded Cheddar
Heavy Based Soup Pot
Steps
Prepare the veggies:
Peel and chop the carrots into coins.
Peel and dice the onion.
Start the veggies:
Heat the butter and oil in a pan on medium-high heat.
When the oil is shimmering, add the onions, carrots and 1/2 tsp salt.
Cook for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent.
Add the stock or the Chicken Better Than Bullion and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Blend. You can blend by transferring to a blender or using a hand immersion blender.
Blender: When the carrots are tender enough to pierce with a fork, after about 10-12 minutes, use a ladle to transfer the soup to the blender. Don’t dump the hot soup or it may splatter and burn you. Also, use caution and cover the blender with a towel to keep from getting burned while it is running. Pour back into the soup pot.
Immersion Blender: Wait at least 15 minutes until you can easily mash the largest carrot pieces with a fork. Then, remove the pan from the heat and blend directly in the soup pot. Use a hot pad to tilt the pan slightly so the soup is a little deeper for the blender if needed, being careful to not splash yourself with hot soup.
Add the tomatoes. You can use your favorite tomato sauce (ideally just tomatoes, no seasoning) and stir to combine. Want to use whole tomatoes? If using whole tomatoes, add them in the prior step, before blending.
Taste, adding salt if needed. Simmer the soup on low until ready to serve.
Grilled Cheese Croutons:
Dice a slice of bread into small cubes.
Heat a small skillet with 1/2 TBS of olive oil. When shimmering, add the bread cubes and toss right away to evenly coat with oil. Sprinkle with seasonings as desired. Use any spice combo. I went with granulated garlic, pizza spices, and paprika.
Continue tossing over medium heat until the bread cubes are well toasted. Turn off the heat and remove from the hot burner. Sprinkle immediately with shredded cheese and toss continually as the cheese melts so it sticks to the bread and not the pan.
Spoon into bowls and top with the grilled cheese croutons, an extra sprinkle of shredded cheese, and chives.
Kitchen Acumen Tips:
Vegetable Oil? Yup. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (and garlic) is absent from this soup. You’re making tomato soup, not red sauce.
To make vegetarian/vegan: use vegetable stock and skip any dairy in the garnish. Definitely recommend homemade vegetable stock to avoid a bland soup.
The Stock. You can absolutely use Chicken Stock. Try to use stock, or even bone broth, so the flavor is rich and delicious. A simple broth will result in a thin flavor. I love how the Chicken Better than Bullion works in this recipe. I don’t use them often, but I do keep Beef and Chicken Better than Bullion around for quick meals like the soup and many of my freezer meals. They are a great shortcut and they keep forever in the fridge. Yes, they can be salty, but salt is actually a key ingredient here. Ever had a fresh, ripe tomato off the vine sprinkled with a pinch of salt? That’s what you want this soup to taste like.
Tomatoes: As pictured, you can see I use Cento Whole Tomatoes. I am addicted to them and I can buy them in bulk at Costco. That’s what I keep around for tomato sauce, so it’s what I use in this recipe. Feel free to keep it simple and just stir in tomato sauce. But if you want to use diced or whole tomatoes, please do! Add them before blending so you don’t have to blend twice. Oh, and aim for tomatoes with no additional flavors.
Garnish
A swirl of heavy cream is delightful in this soup.
Crumble tortilla chips and top with green onions and cilantro for a southwest tomato soup. You could also stir in black beans, corn, and/or rice.
Add julienned basil leaves, shredded mozzarella cheese, and a very light dash of very good quality balsamic vinegar (or a drizzle of balsamic glaze) for a Caprese style tomato soup.
