Creamy Tomato Soup

Admittedly, there’s a place in the world for Campbell’s tomato soup. Maybe a few places, even. The college dorm room. The bachelor pad. The school cafeteria. But not your kitchen. And not mine.

Why? Because delicious-beyond-words homemade tomato soup is just so easy, there’s no excuse for Campbell’s. It requires only a handful of simple ingredients, and takes under half an hour from stove to table.

I made this tomato soup for dinner tonight, and I will never go back to the can. Ever. It’s rich and creamy, and as my sister-in-law Jennifer said (after closing her eyes in ecstasy at the first bite), it has a flavor that really pops. We ate it with some hefty BLT’s. It was the perfect meal for a rainy evening.

Eli paid it an even higher compliment, saying it made him want a Green Well grilled cheese (ham, white cheddar and swiss on buttery sourdough with a fried egg on top – a divine sandwich, and one we’ll no doubt miss here in D.C.).

I started with a recipe from the Tupelo Honey Café Cookbook. I really didn’t change it much, other than to add a handful of fresh basil and increase the sugar (the acid level was just a little too high, so it needed a little more, but I would adjust the sugar to your taste when you make it because the “bite” can be different in every can of tomatoes). Also, it called for just two tablespoons of tomato paste, which was mystifying to me. After all, once you take two tablespoons of tomato paste from the little 4-ounce can, what are you going to do with the rest? This just seemed silly to me, so I went ahead and dumped in the rest.

The texture is creamy and smooth, punctuated by chunks of tender tomato. If you prefer a perfectly smooth tomato soup, like Eli, feel free to put it in the blender prior to adding the cream, or use an immersion blender. And obviously, if you’re not a fan of basil, by all means leave it out.

Creamy Tomato Soup

28 ounces diced tomatoes (do not drain)
28 ounces water
1 can tomato paste
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
3 teaspoons evaporated cane juice, sugar, or agave nectar
1 handful fresh basil, finely chopped (or 1-2 teaspoons dried)
1 cup heavy cream
freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a soup pot over medium-high heat, stir together the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, salt, sugar, and basil. Bring to a simmer, and continue to simmer for about 20 minutes, until the soup is slightly thickened and will thinly coat the back of a spoon.

Add the heavy cream.

Stir until fully combined. Bring back to a gentle simmer.

That’s it! Too easy.

Serves 4-6 depending on whether you’re serving cups or bowls. Awesome with grilled cheese, a BLT, a salad, or even a thick slice of toasted sourdough.

Here’s the printable version.

Enjoy!