Tomato Soup

On: By: Leslie Cook
Simple Tomato Soup - My Favorite!
Simple Tomato Soup – My Favorite!

Sometimes simple is best, and this tomato soup is a great example of that wisdom. It’s so quick and easy to make, it’s probably one of my favorite soups, and it always gets rave reviews whenever I share it.

Yesterday I went to a music event. I found out at the last-minute I was supposed to bring food. No problem! I always have some of my homemade spelt challah on hand, so I quickly made a batch of this delightful tomato soup and took it in a crock pot along with a loaf of challah. It was a hit, especially because there was a surprise vegan in the crowd and a lot of people with weight or heart issues.

Don’t think of it as a heart-healthy soup even though it is. Just think of it as a delicious, comforting soup, 100% real food.

Ingredients (Makes 1-1.5 gallons)

  • Extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup
  • Spanish onion, 1 large
  • Plum tomatoes, 30
  • Ginger root, 1-2″ piece
  • Salt, 1 TB
  • Hot paprika, 1/2 tsp
  • Basil, fresh, 10-20 leaves
  • Water, 1/2 cup, opt.

Procedure

  1. Put the extra virgin olive oil in a large soup pot.
  2. Chunk the onion and add to the pot.
  3. Peel the ginger root, cut into chunks and add to the pot.
  4. Halve the tomatoes and add to the pot.
  5. Add seasonings (salt, hot paprika), but hold the basil.
  6. The tomatoes will produce enough liquid to cook themselves, but you can speed the process a little by adding 1/2 cup of water. This makes the soup a little less thick, and since I can always add water at the end to reach my desired consistency, I prefer to hold off on the water and just cook the tomatoes in their own juice.
  7. Cover the pot and turn on low heat. Stir occasionally.
  8. When done, remove from heat and puree (I use my VitaMix, which makes a beautiful, creamy-seeming soup, but people tell me their regular blenders work just as well).
  9. Return puree to pot.
  10. Take about a cup of the soup and return it to the VitaMix or blender bowl. Add the basil leaves, roughly chopped and pulse a few times. You’ll want to be able to see chopped basil pieces in the soup.
  11. Add the basil-soup mix back to the pot. I love basil and use lots, and I think it adds a brightness to the soup that it needs, but add the mix back to your taste.
  12. Check seasoning and enjoy.

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Ideas? Would like to hear from you!