Creamy Tomato Soup

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Everyone has one person in their family that’s super picky when it comes to eating food. For this household, it’s Monkey. He’s very particular about things. And by things, I mean – Every. Single. Thing. Everything! We lovingly call him our Shelly, after Sheldon Cooper on Big Bang Theory. He has his own spot at the dinner table, and will tell you when you’re in it. And everything has to be just so.

One of the foods our “Shelly” absolutely loves is tomato soup. I make a lot of homemade soups since our family can’t have a lot of food additives, but tomato soup was one that I never could quite figure out. It would be too tangy, or too liquidy, or the seasonings weren’t quite right. So we continued to buy Campbell’s tomato soup since it was a favorite of his. {As in, just about the only soup he would eat for a LONG time.} I’d make it with milk, not water, to help give it a nice creamy texture.

But let me tell you, after making this recipe, my days of buying canned soup are gone! This creamy tomato soup is the perfect homemade tomato recipe, even for my picky Shelly!

I made it from quarts of whole tomatoes and basil that I canned in the summer, but I have also made it with canned San Marzano tomatoes, and it comes out perfect each time. I personally like to use tomato paste to help give it a nudge to get that thick, creamy consistency without cooking for too long.

And what makes this recipe even easier, is that since it all gets blended with an immersion blender*, I don’t have to worry about dicing the veggies to a particular size! It’s a pain for me to mince garlic super tiny so there are no large hunks of garlic in some dishes. But since it all gets blended, I can rough chop the garlic and onions.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 – 28oz cans San Marzano tomatoes – if you can find ones with basil leaves in them, get those!
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 cup half & half
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

In a dutch oven*, or large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic, and saute for an additional 3, or until the garlic is fragrant.
Add tomatoes, broth, sugar, tomato paste, and herbs. Stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 12-15 minutes, or until it’s thickened.
Add in the half & half, and season with salt & pepper.
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth.
Serve warm, topped with parmesan cheese or croutons. We love having this with homemade grilled cheeses!