This big old bowl of tomatoes and cream is the best thing to ever come out of my kitchen.
So good. So right. I’m thinking of retiring. I’m thinking of hanging up the apron strings and ending on a high note. You know, like Seinfeld did in the 90′s.
But it’s just tomato soup? What could be so special about it? Let me explain.
Tomatoes. Top quality canned Italian tomatoes make all the difference in this soup. I got my hands on two giant cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes and they made this soup absolutely irresistable.
But they’re just tomatoes. Yes they’re just tomatoes… just the best canned tomatoes EVER!
San Marzano Tomatoes are a type of plum tomato with a thin skin, fewer seeds and an oh so sweet and less acidic tomato flavor. They’re like tomato bombs from heaven, except they don’t really explode and they’re from Naples, Italy where they’re grown at the base of Mount Vesuvius. For real… this actually happens. Tomatoes at the base of a volcano. Amazing. It’s the volcanic soil that filters out any water impurieties before they reach the plant. Rad. Want to make some kickass soup? Get your paws on these tomatoes, and I mean now!
Creamy Tomato Soup
adapted from Martha Stewart
serves 6
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, finely diced
course sea salt and fresh black pepper
splash of red wine vinegar (just over 1 Tablespoon)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 dried bay leaf
2 cans (14 1/2-ounces each) low sodium chicken broth
2 cans (28-ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes in juice (with basil if available)
1/2- 3/4 cup whole milk or cream
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven melt butter over medium heat. Add oil, carrot and onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent and the carrots are well on their way to softening, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add the splash of vinegar at stir until cooked off.
Turn flame to low and add flour. Incorporate into the onion and carrots. Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to distribute the paste and cook off the flour taste.
Add chicken broth and bay leaf.
With clean hands add the tomatoes to the pot, breaking the whole tomatoes up with your hands as you add the tomatoes and the juice. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat. Using an emulsion blender, puree soup in pot until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Maybe you like more chunks than some folks! If you don’t have an emulsion blender, let the soup cool for about 30 minutes and, working in two or three batches, puree some of the soup in a conventional blender until smooth. Place pureed soup in a bowl and puree the remainder in the pot.
Return pureed soup to the pot and stir in milk or cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Let cool to room temperature before dividing among airtight containers or jars (leaving 1 inch of space at the top) and freeze.
{ 80 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh Joy, I just got in from a late evening out and saw your blog before turning in. This soup looks amazing! !!!I’m having people over for lunch on sun.I’m going to serve this!!
do it!
just think how much better it would taste with fresh tomatoes! looks lovely.
this soup would probably be lovely with fresh, peak of the season, farmer’s market tomatoes… since we’re past that here in california… these canned tomatoes are totally the way to go!
mmmh. this would be perfect today. it is cold and breezy in sunny florida!
my mom use to make homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese for us when we where little. this post brought back those memories. thank you.
This is one of my most favorite comfort foods! I have never made it myself. I love it with a grilled cheese on a side…Mmm!
My husband just got back from a business trip from Naples and I should have had him smuggle some of these home! This looks and sounds great especially as the weather gets cooler. Give me a grilled cheese and some of this soup and I will be set!
First off – pleeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaasssee don’t retire!
Second off – that soup looks pretty darn tasty! I can see why you’d consider it a high note a la Seinfeld.
who am i kidding? i could never retire and leave you darling people… i’m pretty much hooked.
Before I started school, as a child, I had tomato soup and grilled cheese every single day for lunch. I demanded it. I am thrilled to have this recipe. Now how about an amazing grilled cheese sandwich to go with it??
Are San Marzano tomatoes hard to find in your neck of the woods? I thought they would be everywhere. That’s pretty much the only type of canned tomatoe I use (brand is different) although I’m not quite sure if they’re from Naples.
But you’re right, using the righ type of canned tomatoe makes a world of difference no matter what you’re cooking, tomatoe sauce, pizza, or soup.
Also being Italian, aside it from being a staple for us we can out own San Marzano tomoatoes every year and there’s never enough.
Thanks for the great recipe, have a great weekend! :)
san marzano tomatoes aren’t in every grocery store here in the states… in fact… they’re hardly in grocery stores at all. they’re more of a specialty food store item. tragic!
for those of us lucky enough to live in the bay area, berkeley bowl regularly stocks san marzano tomatoes when they are in season
You’re so right Joy, when you use the right type of ingredient (be it tomatoes, or any other product), it makes ALL the difference!
Also, I hope you’re joking about retiring! Please don’t!!!!!!
Please, please, don’t retire!!!!!
This soup looks really delicious!
I want some now!
I LOOOOVE Creamy Tomato Soup!
The funny this is I can’t stand regular tomato soup! Add cream to it and its the best soup invented :)
Tomato soup is one of my favorite soup.
This sounds so good. I love campbell’s with grilled cheese, so I bet from scratch is SO much better:)
I looooove tomatoes. Tried growing some this summer but sadly i overfed them and they died :( that was after much love and care and attention was placed upon them…but hopefully next year I can try again with more success!
Your soup looks delicious. Perfect for the cold winter nights! Will definitely be trying this recipe. x
oh drats! sorry about your tomatoes! there’s always next year!
Un Be Leev A BL!… I was just wishing for tomato soup last night!
Goosebumps….totally creeped out….looking for the hidden cameras.
Now to cook some soup! Mmmm.
Is this the tomato soup Martha made on an episode with Katherine Heigl – I saw that one. I don’t really like tomatoes but this looks good and if there is a grilled cheese sandwich beside it, I am sold!!!
Have a great weekend Joy!! All the best to you =)
hm… i’m not sure this is the recipe on martha with katherine… mostly because i changed the recipe so much that it would probably make martha’s head spin. take that martha! um… not really. we’re cool.
The soup recipe looks wonderful! Is that swiss cheese on some kind of home made bread in your picture?
BTW I made your Vegan Pumpkin Nut Bread last night for my family. I tossed in some chocolate chips. Amazing! Eating some for breakfast right now!
heck yes! swiss cheese toast! like an open face grilled cheese!
i’m so glad you liked the pumpkin bread! chocolate chips make just about everything better. nice addition!
I love tomato soup! I actually brought some for my lunch today although it isn’t homemade. I will be making your recipe though-soon!
Oh man this looks good. I’ve always been scared to go the homemade route with tomato soup (inferiority complex?), but you have given me courage! Can’t wait to try this!
you can totally do it! give this recipe a try! it’s not hard at all!
Fabulous, fabulous recipe. I might throw in a little fresh basil and take that for a spin. Thanks!
basil. yes. delicious!
Super tasty!
Joy, do you think this soup would be as good without the cream? My husband doesn’t like creamy soups and only likes tomato soup with rice in it. I might make two batches – one with cream for me, one without for him, but I thought I’d ask first.
great point! yes! this soup would be super lovely without the cream. leave it out for your husband and add a touch for yourself. that’s a great plan!
Yours looks great, if I liked tomato soup. For whatever reason, I love all things tomato except for soup and V8. Great pictures!
My mom makes tomato soup with rice in it, its wonderful!
super yum!
Somehow I stumbled across your blog and absolutely love it!! Printed off some recipes and can’t wait to test them out. I think you’re fabulous! OH and it’s unanimous you can’t retire! Keep on keeping on!!
My favorite way to make tomato soup is to roast everything and then blend. So good!
This sounds amazing. My husband loves tomato soup. Thanks.
Sounds so yummy! I am ordering the San Marzano tomatoes immediately!
My mom always made Campbell’s tomatoe and grilled cheese or tuna fish sandwiches. I would love to make the homemade and invite her over for lunch. I will definately have to try this out. Love the swiss cheese toast, my mom tells stories of her grandmother making them grilled swiss cheese sandwiches, something I have never quite enjoyed.
Keep up the great work, I love waiting and seeing what you will be doing next!
Joy.
Oh. My.
I am NOT a huge tomato soup fan, never have been.
But holy smokes, maybe the reason for that is that I have never tried something like this. I know that in the past, I have tried adding things like sour cream and diced tomatoes to canned soup to “doctor it up” a little, and that only makes it tolerable. (That, and as many other commenters have mentioned…a delicious grilled cheese on the side…) This actually seems pretty simple. This may just be my next “It’s-cold-out-and-I-need-some-comfort-food” recipe!
Oh, this looks lovely.
I make a very similiar soup and it includes 1/8 tsp of ground cloves. It absolutely sets it off – but this just screams cozy and begs for a grilled cheese to dunk in it!
YUM
omg, I’m salivating! :) thanks for the recipe, will try it soon!
I was JUST looking for a tomato soup recipe yesterday; I’m SO glad you posted this and I came across it!
excellent! and since i’m on a soup kick, why not keep on going and make ths one too??
Love that you’re diversifying. Cupcakes are great and all but a girl’s got to eat veggies every now and then. This looks delicious. You rock, BTW.
My husband loves this stuff, adores it. He would be swooning just looking the picts!!
My 6-yr-old son has been begging me to make grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for two weeks (totally random request for him!), but I couldn’t bring myself to buy pre-fab soup. This recipe looks so amazing that I’m inspired – I think I’ll drag him off to the store tomorrow to get all of the ingredients so that we can have “cooking class” together and get our sammich and soup fix! Thanks, Joy! :)
Joy, you’ve read my mind. I have had a near psychotic craving for tomato soup lately but I hate the canned stuff. Thank you!
Okay, you sold me! On my way to Whole Foods. You could be writing advertising copy!
1. You CANNOT retire. Not possible.
2. This soup looks amazing and will definitely be on my lunch menu this weekend – maybe with a grilled cheese sandwich?
Looks yummy, I have tons of extra tomatoes from my garden I am trying to use up…tomato sauce, salsa etc. So I was wondering if you have any idea what quantity I would use and do you think I should put extra stock in? Thanks in advance, love your blog and recipes…
Retire? HAH!! Just try, sweetie!!! I’ll get a posse together with wooden spoons & cupcakes tins!! Awesome soup recipe BTW…YUM!! Love ya!!
For the bay area people…I was on a mission to find these tomatoes today. Cento brand (Italy) San Marzano tomatoes@ Raley’s supermarket.!! Wa Hoo!! There was a bit of a sticker shock however…
Tomato soup looks comforting and tasty…but that melted cheese on bread really caught my eye :)
Yum…I can not wait to make this soup. It looks divine.
Oh Joy,
Looks delicious and simple! while you were up at 1 am!
I was mesmerized by this new magazine that has beautiful and simple recipes like yours.
It’s called Poetry of Food, poetryoffood.com, free to join, a novel idea:)
I made the celeriac soup and it was delicious. also made the brussels sprouts which I hated as a child and now I love!!!
later
Jen
Joy, I love this. I consider my self a tomato soup fanatic, I made this soup last night with sourdough white cheddar grilled cheese, and it is down right the best thing to ever come out of my kitchen, my favorite tomato soup ever. Thank you so much! You rock!
Amy : )
Wow, this soup looks amazing. It’s always a dilemma for me to make tomato soup in the winter when it is best enjoyed, but when the tomatoes are flavorless, and canned tomatoes tin-flavored. This looks like an excellent compromise! Top notch tomato soup in the middle of winter!
1. Awesome recipe. I must admit I’ve been on a tomato soup kick lately. Out of the box. I need to stop. This is better.
2. Randomly: what is the name of the pattern of your bowl??? That’s the exact pattern we had in my family when I was a kid – someone gave my parents that set at their wedding I think. I want to find it for pure sentimental purposes!
This looks great! I made a recipe by Michael Chiarello for tomato soup and after you crushed the tomatoes with your hand, you sprinkled on sea salt and roasted them in the oven before adding them to the soup. Really fantastic! But now I am on a mission to get my hands on those San Marzano tomatoes!
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