Last year in January, it was cold, dark, rainy, and downright miserable and depressing. Not to sound negative, but we all know that’s what winter in NYC can feel like at times. ENDLESS. I pretty much hibernated away in my apartment, and decided I needed to entertain myself somehow – what better way than to cheer myself up with some homemade creamy tomato soup?
When I was a kid, I used to love staying home sick from school – why? My Mom would wrap me up under blankets on the couch and make me a grilled cheese sandwich smothered in Campbell’s tomato soup in front of the tube, which made the misery of being sick almost OK (and kinda fun!) – and to this day, I still crave this combo for a cozy day on the couch at home.
This recipe is sure to warm you up with its creamy roasted tomato flavor. Serve it with some grilled or toasted bread with olive oil and herbs or mini grilled cheese bites for dipping in the soup (or smothering!) and maybe even a glass of red wine to warm you up even more.
Maybe Spring can wait a few more months after all.
Ingredients
- 4 lbs fresh heirloom or vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2-3 medium shallots, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fines herbes (parsley, chervil, tarragon, chives)
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable, if you prefer)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 c heavy cream or half and half
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spread the tomatoes and garlic on a baking sheet, drizzling with olive oil and bake for 45 minutes to an hour until tomatoes are soft and skins are dark brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. Once cooled, remove skins from tomatoes and garlic and discard.
- Heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven over low heat. Add butter, shallots, fines herbes and salt and pepper, saute until the onions are soft. Add the roasted tomatoes and garlic, chicken or vegetable broth and tomato paste and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and cover, simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- After 20-30 minutes, puree the soup with an immersion blender in the pan, or remove from pan and puree in a blender and pour back into the pan.
- Stir in heavy cream or half and half, blending thoroughly. Add additional salt and pepper to taste and garnish with a sprinkle of fines herbs (or julienned basil leaves).
- Serve in soup bowls with crusty garlic herb bread (or over a grilled cheese sandwich on a plate!) and a glass of red wine.
Other Tomato Soup recipes you may enjoy:
Kalyn’s Kitchen Tomato and Cilantro Soup
Michael Chiarello’s Homemade Tomato Soup
Pioneer Woman’s Sherried Tomato Soup
Michael Symon’s Blue Cheese and Tomato Soup via The Amateur Gourmet
