Triple Tomato Soup

I am a sucker for good tomato soup.

And this batch – my first batch, ever, of completely homemade tomato soup – turned out pretty dang delicious.

But…I’m not even excited to tell you about it.

Why?

Because spring is here!

I made this sweet and tangy soup a few weeks ago when the weatherman was threatening us with snow.

But now?

Now it’s sunny and we’re hitting almost 70 degrees today. We went to the park with Maggie yesterday with no jackets and sunglasses. I had the windows open all afternoon while I did laundry and baked cookies.

And soup is the last thing on my mind.

But I know how spring works.

She comes in, nice with warm sunshine and sweet breezes. And then she’ll step back and let winter have a few more days of fun before she moves in for good.

So I have to share this soup – just in case.

Just in case you and I end up needing a hot pot of soup to warm up again next week. In case there’s more snow (I hope not). In case it’s 20 degrees again (I will cry if it is). In case it frosts every night for the next two weeks (We’re ready to start gardening here, so please no!).

I love a good cream of tomato soup, but I wanted this pot to be just tomato, pure and simple.

We’ve got tomatoes 3 ways: crushed (storebought) and crushed (home grown and canned!), slow roasted, and my favorite tomato paste.

Crushed for sweetness, roasted for texture and deep flavor, paste for concentrated tomato goodness and richness.

I started this batch with some sweet onion, carrot, and celery for some extra veggies and added a bit of brown sugar to caramelize the vegetables and give it a deep, caramel background to round out the tangy flavor of the tomatoes.

We had ours on a cold winter night with some grilled ham and cheese on the side.

Maybe it’s getting close to spring- but you really can’t beat a grilled cheese and tomato soup.

Triple Tomato Soup

Makes: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 carrots, thinly sliced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
  • 8 oz. roasted tomatoes (or sundried, if you can’t find or make roasted tomatoes)
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  2. Add the carrots, onion, and celery and cook, stirring, 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are beginning to soften.
  3. Stir in the garlic and brown sugar and cook 4-5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and the garlic is fragrant.
  4. Add the tomato paste and stir into the vegetable mixture. Let the tomato paste cook with the veggies for 5-7 minutes.
  5. Add the crushed tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, broth, water, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
  6. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook on low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes.
  7. Remove the bay leaf and puree / blend your soup until creamy, saving some of the vegetables if you want a little texture.
  8. Serve warm, drizzled with some olive oil or with a grilled cheese on the side.

10 comments

  1. It’s like you read my mind!! I’ve been craving a chunky rich tomato soup for weeks now! You know, something you just can’t get from the can.

  2. yum! this looks so comforting. i love rich, creamy, chunky tomato soup. And while it’s 70 degrees in baltimore today.. i still want some of this soup right now!

  3. I am a sucker for soup no matter WHAT the weather. And tomato just happens to be one of the best- IMO! YUM. Toasty bread or grilled cheese on the side? Very necessary

  4. Love the multiple versions of tomatoes and admittedly kind of jealous of all your canning bounty. Even though I don’t have anything even remotely resembling outdoor growing space I’m thinking of trying a few plants on the fire escape.

  5. You are so right about Spring being fickle! We have been enjoying sunny days and warm weather here and now the forecast says rain for the next 5 days… Noooo! I am ready to retire boots and coats for a while! But I’m glad I have this soup to warm me up! It sounds fantastic!

  6. i know, i’m at a loss for what to eat this week due to the temperatures… and i’m jealous of your canned tomatoes! maybe this year :)

  7. this soup looks yummy, love the brown sugar in there! Pomi tomatoes are seriously the best, only ones i like to use these days :) this soup makes me think of the tomato & blue cheese soup that my sister was just telling me about from a recent dining experience… now i’m craving tomato soup!

  8. mmm..nothing like a classic grilled cheese and tomato soup! perfect!

  9. Grilled cheese and tomato soup is one of my all time favorite meals. Your recipe looks fantastic!

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