Cream of Tomato Soup

Cream of Tomato Soup is good served with Grilled Cheese for dipping, or for a change try Parmesan Toast or Croutons. Another idea I came across is Breaded Mozzarella Sticks, if you prefer an accompaniment without a lot of bread.

Also see French Tomato Soup

*Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

I made 1/2 recipe with abut 2 pounds of roasted cherry tomatoes that was very flavorful. I roasted the tomatoes in the oven with olive oil, garlic, and fresh basil leaves. Once they were starting to brown, I broiled them for a few minutes to get them even browner. The soup was delicious, but it had too many seeds in it (I don't have a food mill). I tried straining it, but the mesh is too small. I then got out my china cap, a tool used in canning to remove seeds from fruits and pureed vegetables, and it worked perfectly. The only issue I found is that I may have crushed the seeds too much and the soup had a little bitter taste. Next time be more gentle straining the seeds out.

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions)
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large) [8 cups?]
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish
3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade [chicken bouillon aslo works]
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
Croutons, for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

Add the cream to the soup and process it through a food mill into a bowl, discarding only the dry pulp that's left. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons.

Yield: 5 to 6 servings

Thick and Creamy Tomato Soup
by Stella Parks, https://www.seriouseats.com/

Stella's take on the famous Nordstrom's tomato basil soup uses carrot purée and just a splash of cream to create a thick, hearty, and warming meal.

Why It Works

  • Unlike oil, butter browns as it cooks to lend the soup a bit of nutty depth.
  • Carrot purée adds an earthy sweetness to balance the acidic tomatoes, and creates a creamy consistency without the need for much cream.
  • A small pinch of baking soda will tame any unwanted acidity in the soup.

Note: You can strain the soup if you like, but the tender vegetables make for a remarkably creamy purée on their own. So creamy, in fact, that I've halved the amount of actual cream involved [in the original recipe]. It's not that I'm looking to lighten things up, only that I prefer that richness in the form of a gooey grilled cheese sandwich. If you'd rather embrace a creamier tomato soup, by all means, add more!

4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick; 114g)
4 large carrots (1 pound; 455g), diced (see notes)
2 medium yellow onions (1 pound; 455g), diced (see notes)
3 large (28-ounce; 795g) cans whole tomatoes, crushed roughly by hand
4 cups (950ml) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon baking soda, plus more as needed (optional)
8 ounces heavy cream (1 cup; 225g)
Up to 1 1/4 teaspoons (5g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon (1g) freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne, or more to taste
1/2 ounce fresh basil leaves (1 loosely packed cup; 15g), cut into chiffonade

In a 6-quart stainless steel pot, melt butter over medium heat until foaming, then add carrots and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally until butter starts to brown on the bottom, about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, followed by chicken stock. Continue cooking (uncovered), stirring occasionally, until quite thick, about 1 1/2 hours; adjust heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer.

Taste broth; if its flavor is too sharp or acidic, add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and stir well (it will foam at first). Taste and repeat if needed. Purée soup with an immersion blender until smooth, or cool until no longer steaming before puréeing in a countertop blender. Stir in cream, then season with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Rewarm to serve. Stir in basil just before serving. In a sealed nonreactive container, tomato soup will keep up to 1 week in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.

8 - 12 servings (about 12 cups)

Nordstrom's Tomato and Basil Soup Recipe

Serve with Parmesan-Garlic Crostini.

Soup Ingredients
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tablespoon dried basil
3 cans (28 ounces each) whole Italian-style tomatoes in purée
1 can (14.5 ounces each) low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lightly packed fresh basil leaves, cut into fine ribbons

In a 6- to 8-quart saucepan, over medium heat, warm the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.

Add the carrots, onions and dried basil, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened, 10 to 12 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, including the purée, and the broth and bring just to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes to blend the flavors.

Remove from the heat. Purée the soup in the saucepan using a wand-type emulsion blender; or working in batches, purée the soup in a blender or in a food processor fitted with the metal blade.

Return the puréed soup to the saucepan, add the cream and place over medium heat. Warm until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Creamy Tomato Soup with Buttery Croutons
from https://www.foodandwine.com/

Quick, easy tomato soup is comfort in a bowl, especially when it's topped with brown butter croutons. Seattle chef Tom Douglas's creamy tomato soup recipe comes together quickly and easily using a few pantry staples, such as canned whole tomatoes, garlic, onion, and extra-virgin olive oil. Dried seasonings like crushed red pepper flakes, celery seed, oregano, salt, and pepper deepen the flavors of the soup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, very thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, smashed
5 cups canned whole tomatoes in their juice (from three 14-ounce cans)
1 cup water
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 (3/4-inch-thick) slices of white country bread, crusts trimmed, bread cut into 3/4-inch dice

In a large saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the sliced onion and smashed garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and their juice, the water, heavy cream, sugar, crushed red pepper, celery seed, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer for 10 minutes.

Working in batches, transfer the tomato soup to a blender and puree until smooth.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, cook the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over moderately high heat until it begins to brown, about 1 minute. Scrape the browned butter into a medium bowl. Add the olive oil to the skillet. Add the diced bread and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until it is slightly browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer the bread to the browned butter and toss well.

Return the soup to a clean pot and rewarm it if necessary; season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with the croutons.

6 servings

Creamy Tomato Soup

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 slice bacon, finely chopped
1 Spanish onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes
3 parsley sprigs
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 cup heavy cream
1 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until crisp and most of the fat has rendered, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Pour in the broth and crush the tomatoes through your fingers into the pan. Bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Tie the parsley sprigs, thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Remove and discard the herb bundle. Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the pot and reheat over medium heat.

Whisk in the heavy cream, salt, and pepper, to taste. Divide among warm soup bowls and serve immediately.