Homemade Tomato Soup

I absolutely love grilled cheese and tomato soup. You can’t go wrong with it! It’s quick and easy to make, while being super warm and comforting. My mom always used to make it when I was growing up, so it reminds me of home. A while ago, I wanted tomato soup with grilled cheese, but the canned Campbell’s soup just wasn’t doing it for me anymore. I tried out a few different boxes of fancy organic soup, but I still wanted something different.

Eventually, I googled some recipes, and realized it was actually extremely easy to make on your own at home, and a lot of the ingredients you probably already have on hand. Of course, I had to make a few tweaks to the recipe because that’s what I do. After cooking it the first time, I realized there were some things that I wanted to do differently. So, I present to you: my favorite homemade tomato soup. I promise once you try it, you’ll never want to eat canned soup again. This recipe is adapted from Michael Chiarello’s homemade tomato soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 (14.5 oz) can of chopped or diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tbsp
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced
• 2 stalks of carrot, halved and sliced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 cup of chick broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• Salt and pepper
• Approximately 1/4 cup of fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Strain the can of tomatoes, pouring the juice into a bowl and setting aside. Lay the tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle the 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over them, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then toss the tomatoes to make sure they are coated with the olive oil. Once the oven has preheated, place the baking sheet into the oven for 15 minutes. Tip: use a baking sheet with a lip to avoid oil dripping into the oven, and line the baking sheet with aluminum foil to avoid stuck-on food.
3. While the tomatoes are roasting, get a large pot and heat the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, and cook until the vegetables are aromatic and beginning to soften, stirring occasionally. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
4. Once the vegetables are softened and the tomatoes have been removed from the oven, transfer them from the baking sheet and into the pot, making sure to pour all the juices and oils from the baking sheet into the pot as well. Add the chicken broth, tomato juice (what you set aside in a bowl earlier), bay leaves and butter. Give the pot a good stir and allow to simmer over low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables in the pot are soft and fork tender. If in doubt, simmer a bit longer, as these vegetables need to be soft enough to be blended.
5. Once the vegetables have simmered long enough that they are soft and fork tender, remove from heat. Remove the bay leaves from the pot. Add the basil and heavy cream and stir to incorporate. Make sure the basil is finely chopped, avoiding any long pieces, as these tend to get caught in the blades of the hand blender.
6. Using a hand blender, puree until everything in the pot is smooth and creamy. Taste it once it’s done blending, add salt if needed, and blend again. There will be some texture to the soup, so don’t panic if it is not perfectly smooth. If you do not own a hand blender, a blend or food processor will work perfectly fine, too.
7. Serve with your favorite grilled cheese & enjoy!

My tips for the perfect grilled cheese: butter both sides of two slices of bread, sandwich 3 thinly sliced pieces of cheese in between two slices, and place on a grill pan (for those perfect grill marks). Grill each side until lightly brown and the cheese is melted. My cheese of choice is usually a sharp cheddar.

If you enjoy my posts, please be sure to follow my blog to receive an email notification every time I post! Are tomato soup and grilled cheese one of your favorites? Have you made this recipe? Rate this recipe and leave a comment below to share your experience.