Easy tomato soup, is there any other kind? Just a handful of ingredients, most of them you’ll have waiting in your pantry, are thrown together and blended to make even the nastiest winter days seem multitudes better.
It has been so cold here. And rainy. Like bitter cold that bites you as soon as you walk out the door. Weather that breeds grouchy moods and sour attitudes, especially in me.
One of my favorite remedies for this kind of thing is a piping hot bowl of easy tomato soup. This recipe is a cinch to throw together. I love its simplicity. Also it makes your house smell wonderful, and is perfect for these unpleasant winter days. I’d argue that it not only makes them bearable, but enjoyable. I love curling up with a bowl of this soup on one of these such days. And then enjoying some percolator wassail after. With a splash or two of bourbon, of course.
Make sure to use good quality canned tomatoes, as this will make a difference in flavor. Also try to find tomatoes that are unsalted so that you can control the level of salt in the soup. I’ve grabbed canned tomatoes in the past that did contain salt and the soup still turned out great. As with any recipe make sure that you’re tasting the food as you’re preparing it and adjust the spice level to your taste.
This easy tomato soup is great with a sprinkle or shaving of parmesan and some torn basil leaves. And who doesn’t love a grilled cheese sandwich dipped into the rich thick tomatoey goodness?!
Easy Tomato Soup
- 2 (28oz) cans of whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves, washed and roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes*
*1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes does give the soup a nice kick, but if you don’t like spicy food then stick to only 1/2 teaspoon or less.
In a large soup pot over medium high heat sauté your onion in the olive oil for 5-10 minutes, or until the onion starts to look translucent. Then throw your garlic into the hot pan and sauté it with the onion for a few more minutes, until your kitchen starts to smell awesome. Add canned tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and a little salt and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
Lastly, add the veggie broth and basil and let it all simmer for about 10 minutes. Then using an immersion blender or regular blender, blend it up until it reaches desired consistency. Taste it to see if you need to add more salt. Pour into soup bowls and top with parmesan and fresh basil. Enjoy! See? Easy tomato soup!
**A good tip for busy people is to double the recipe and then freeze half for later. Next week when it’s snowing you’ll be SO glad to have that ready to go!
