We all love comfort food and this soup is it. The recipe is from Cooks Illustrated. Simple, quick and most important, delicious. This is so much better than canned soup. We usually have leftovers and it tastes great the next day also.
Some other soups to try – Butternut Squash and Apple Soup, and Roasted Carrot Soup. It has been cold and snowy in New England lately and hot, steaming soups are the answer; preferably served with a piece of fresh bread. 
Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 pinch hot red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 slices good-quality bread, cut into one inch pieces
2 cups vegetable broth or stock (the original recipe calls for chicken stock)
salt and pepper
Procedure:
Add 2 tablespoons olive oil in Dutch oven (or favorite soup or stock pot) over medium heat and saute onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and bay leaf. Cook until onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
Chopping Onions with a Chef’s knife
I thought I would put a note here about chopping onions and having a good Chef’s knife. Not too long ago, I read a really great book on cooking with wonderful valuable kitchen advice and knowledge. The author is Kathleen Flinn. She has several books out, but the one I read was The Kitchen Counter Cooking School. In the book, she talks about the best utensils for your kitchen and this includes knives. Since reading the book, I bought a decent Chef’s knife and it has been so helpful to me.
Here’s a link to a short video where Kathleen shows basic knife skills and the proper way to cut and dice an onion.
Back to the soup recipe.
Next, grab your kitchen apron because you won’t want to get any tomato juice on your clothes. Do not ask how I know this! Pour the tomatoes and their juices into the pan with the onion mixture.
Currently, my favorite canned tomato brand.
Using a potato masher, mash until tomato pieces are 2 inches or less.
Pour in the sugar and bread and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread has been absorbed into the tomato mixture (about 5 minutes).
The bread soup mixture will actually be more incorporated than this. The bread will basically disintegrate into the tomato mixture.
Remove bay leaf and discard.
Transfer soup to a blender. I fill my blender about half way. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the blender for each batch you are blending. Once you have blended each batch of soup, transfer to a large bowl. Once all the soup has been blended, return soup to Dutch oven and stir in vegetable broth. At this point, you could season with salt and pepper if desired. I never add salt and pepper to this soup. It just comes out great and I don’t feel it needs it.
I added some homemade croutons for some crunch and garnish.
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pinch hot red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes with juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 large slice good-quality bread, cut into one inch pieces
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- salt and pepper
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in Dutch oven. Add the chopped onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and bay leaf. Cook until onions are translucent – 4-5 minutes.
- Next, pour in tomatoes and their juice. Using a potato masher, mash the tomatoes until they are about 2 inches or less in size.
- Stir in sugar and bread and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until bread is absorbed into tomato mixture, about 5 minutes.
- Remove bay leaf and discard.
- Transfer portions of the soup mixture to a blender (or use and immersion blender) with one tablespoon olive oil. Once blended put mixture in a large bowl.
- Once all mixture has been blended, add back to Dutch oven. Add vegetable broth and season with salt and pepper if needed.
I hope you are having a great week!
This looks so incredibly flavorful and creamy (despite the lack of cream!). I’m so glad to have found your site and I’m looking forward to exploring more of your culinary adventures!
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for stopping by. I was surprised by how tasty this soup is. I hope you like it.
I so enjoyed your book on food blogging. It is a great manual and how-to guide.
Christine
I’ve been trying to make a good homemade tomato soup, and it’s always come out tasting like ketchup or straight up tomatoes. This soup sounds great! It’s been going back and forth between blizzard and heavy rain in Michigan, so this is the perfect time to try out a new soup!
Hi Kelly,
I am so glad you found my site and stopped by!
This soup is so easy and tastes great. I hope you like it.
I know the blizzard weather well! Stay warm.
Christine