The Hungry MouseQuick & Creamy Tomato Soup
I don’t know if this happens to anyone else, but when the weather turns colder, my inner eight-year-old starts to crave Campbell’s tomato soup and grilled cheese.
Here’s my grown-up version.
This frequently shows up on our table on weeknights when we don’t have a ton of time to cook. Because the recipe calls for canned tomatoes, you can get it on the table in just over a half an hour.
It’s warm, filling, and rich. All you need is a good bottle of wine and a loaf of chewy, rustic bread—or, of course, a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches made with gooey brie, fontina, or good old American cheese.
It makes enough for about two bowls.
Quick & Creamy Tomato Soup
2 Tbls. olive oil
3 fresh bay leaves
1 28-oz. can ground, peeled tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic, minced or put through a press
3/4 cup chicken stock
freshly cracked black pepper
2 Tbls. butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbls. fresh parsley, minced + more for garnish
grated Parmesan cheese
Add the olive oil to a medium-sized sauce pot. Pick your pot up and tilt it around to coat the bottom.
Add the bay leaves to the olive oil. Saute the leaves for about a minute over medium heat. You just want to warm them up, not brown them. (If you substitute dry bay leaves for fresh, watch them extra close.)
Add the tomatoes to the pot.
Toss in the minced garlic.
Stir to combine.
Pour in the chicken stock.
Stir well again to combine. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring it to a simmer.
When it’s simmering, lower the heat to medium, and cover the pot. Crack the lid so that a little steam can escape.
Simmer like this for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it feels like it’s sticking to the bottom of the pot, lower the heat a little.
After 20 minutes, uncover your pot and turn the heat off (to avoid splatters).
Your soup will have reduced a little, and should look about like this:
Give it a good stir so it’s uniform. It’ll be pretty thick.
Add a little freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Toss in the butter.
Stir to combine and melt the butter completely.
When it’s melted, pour in the cream.
Stir to combine really well until the soup is uniform in consistency.
Your soup will be thick and creamy, with small bits of tomato in it. If you want a smoother soup, yank out the bay leaves and puree it quickly with a traditional or hand-held stick blender. I skipped this step tonight.
Cover the pot again. Crack the lid. Turn the stove on again with the heat on low. Cook like this, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes. If it feels like it’s sticking to the bottom, lower the heat a little.
After 10 minutes, turn the heat off and uncover. Stir well. Then add the parsley.
Stir to combine. It should look about like this:
At this point, taste your soup. Depending on the brand of ground tomatoes you used, your soup might be a little acidic. If that’s the case, add a little more cream or butter to balance out the tartness.
Ladle out into bowls and garnish with a little minced parsley and grated Parmesan.
Serve and enjoy!
***
Copyright 2008 The Hungry Mouse�/Jessica B. Konopa. All rights reserved.
22 Comments on “Quick & Creamy Tomato Soup”
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Hell yeah! Now that’s what I call awesome soup! I love tomato soup with just some garlic bread on the side….when I’ve got to get dinner around for just myself it’s something I often turn to. This is on the must-make list for sure.
I am totally with you on the grilled cheese and tomato soup combo–thanks for a great, easy recipe that’ll keep me from turning to the same ol’ same ol’ cans o’ campbells!
Hehe, thanks ladies.
And don’t get me wrong…I do still love Campbell’s. Just not all the time.
+Jessie
MMmmm, it looks perfect now that the weather is turning cold. Yummy!
This makes me want to make tomato soup and grilled cheese myself! Sounds delish!
yum! I love this… quick and simple but looks insanely delish! Nice one Jessie!
Super excited for this one! Well done!
– Jen
Your tomato soup looks so comforting. And full of flavors, so much better than opening up a can!
It is easy to see why you would crave this from time to time! It looks absolutely amazing from start to finish.
The only change that I personally would make is to add basil, but then I put basil on anything that has tomatoes in it.
I have always wondered how to make a good tomato soup. Thanks for this recipe!
mmmmm, that looks good. i love tomato soup! i love the step by step pictures, too
This is a recipe that I’ve been looking for to add to my winter recipe. It’s looks fantastic, I think I’ll make it tonight!
now why cant i live in boston ( or u in london ) so I can pop over to ur kitchen ( am prepared to beg if it goes that far..) and gobble up some of that nice home cooked food while you compose the recipes on your PC.
*I checked my airmiles and need an additional 14,560 points to usa.
Thanks, guys!
Erik–A little basil would be a great addition!
Marianne–You know, instead of olive oil, you could saute a little bit of diced up bacon for a smokey-tomato soup.
Kang–Hehe. Man, if we were neighbors, I think we’d raise hell all over Boston.
(Also, I think we’d overdose on sushi really quickly…)
+Jessie
Your inner eight year old just made my current eight year old son beyond pleased!!! This soup is comforting, tasty and perfect for a dark, week-day night. I served it with grilled pannini sandwiches made with sourdough bread and fontina cheese that oozed out and toasted up with a crunch….
Make that a ham and cheese and we’re on the same page. This looks great, I love tomato soups…especially tomato basil… but then that leads me to dream of pear tarts and lemon cake… oh!!!! now I’m hungry
I hate you for the delicious pictures! They look really eatable!
That soup looks fantastic!!
Tomato soup is my second favorite,second to pumpkin.
I like to use fresh tomatoes. A little more work but worth it.
Just clean the them and put them in to boiling water then into cold water. This makes the skins peels off with your fingertips most of the time.
Also-
I use basil and oregano instead of garlic.Plan yogurt instead of cream. Lots of Parmesan and I am a dipper have to have a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup.
Looks beautiful. I’ll try it, substituting the chicken broth with a hearty vegetable broth. I don’t believe Campbell’s has chicken broth in theirs. It always bums me out a little when a beautiful vegetarian looking soup ends up having chicken broth. Oh well.
As an aside for those who will be using chicken broth… please buy chicken products from a reputable farmer who treats their chickens well and uses organic feed. The world will be a better place for your effort.
Thanks for reading this.
This soup looks really good! Going to give it a try this coming week. I used to get a tomato soup from The Greenbrier Resort while I was an employee there… it had Orzo noodles in it and was kind of ranch tasting (maybe tartar?) anyway have you ever heard of this type of soup? Since I have quit working there several years ago I am CRAVING it now.. I am dying to find a recipe for it.
I would love to make this soup, but I am confused which canned tomatoes to buy. I dont think I have ever seen ground unpeeled tomatoes at the store. Is it the same as crushed?
Thanks!!