Tomato Soup

I was craving tomato soup the other day.  So I scoured the internet to find a suitable soup for dinner. After looking around I settled on a soup that was based on canned tomatoes.  I know, but it is winter here and the fresh tomatoes, well they suck.  This soup roasts the tomatoes to give them a little kick.  You won’t even know they came from a can.

Tomato Soup
Tomato Soup

I served this retro style with some grilled cheese.  Awesome!!

Tomato Soup – (From Michael Chiarello)

  • 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes or whole tomatoes (chopped)
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 1 small carrot, diced
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

I doubled the recipe as I could not find chopped tomatoes.  So I used a 28oz can of whole tomatoes and chopped them myself.

Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15 minutes.

Roast the tomato
Roast the tomatoes

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until softened, about 10 minutes.

Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter.

Add the tomatoes, tomato juice and chicken stock.
Add the tomatoes, tomato juice and chicken stock.

Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and cream, if using.

Add the cream and basil
Add the cream and basil

Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth or use a blender.  Remember that if you use a blender that the mixture will expand a bit so don’t fill it all the way to the top.  I may have filled my blender a little too high as there is still some remnants of tomato soup on my ceiling.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Word of warning.  Do not fill your blender up this high.
Word of warning. Do not fill your blender up this high.

I like to serve tomato soup with grilled cheese or croutons.  Either makes a great addition to this soup.

Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese
Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

Enjoy!

-Rex

Rex

Rex is an avid griller, barbecuer and bacon enthusiast. He is the Pitmaster for the Rex BBQ competition team. Rex was also featured on the TV show American Grilled. If you have any questions or wish to have Rex decode your favorite dish, click on the ASK REX link in the menu above.

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One thought on “Tomato Soup

  1. hey, how come no pictures of the ceiling? ha ha

    I love the idea of roasting the tomatoes to make them not seem canned. The finished product looks amazing.

    Are you still growing fresh basil???? Even the store bought "fresh" basil looks like crap around here.

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