When I find something that I enjoy eating, sort of like the arugula salad, I tend to have it often. For the first two weeks of January I have been having soup for lunch, mostly from the little cafe near my office. Nothing special, but warm and easy. I decided to try my hand at tomato soup this weekend with the hope of lunch for the week. After some research on the inter-web I came up with a recipe somewhere between a tomato bisque and a classic soup. The result had a rich tomato flavor with a creamy texture, paired with a grilled swiss cheese sandwich on sourdough and I was warm and tingly on a cold winter day.

Prep time 10 minutes / Cook time 30-45 minutes

  • 1 28 ounce can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes (San Marzano tomatoes are the most flavorful)
  • 1 26 ounce box of Pomi (important to use this brand, which you can get at most grocery stores) finely chopped tomatoes
  • 2 medium onions sliced thin
  • 2 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery chopped
  • 1 c. shredded carrots
  • 1/4 c. tomato paste
  • 4 T. unsalted butter
  • 2 T. flour
  • ¼ c. warm water
  • 3 c. chicken broth
  • 2 T. sugar
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 t. basil
  • 2 t. parsley
  • 1 c. heavy cream

Melt butter in large pot, add onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Sauté until soft, about 6 minutes. Add both types of tomatoes and tomato paste. Put flour in a small jar with a tight fitting lid, along with the warm water. Shake until combined. Add flour mixture to soup. Add chicken broth, sugar, salt, pepper, basil and parsley. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. Use and immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot. Can also be pureed in a blender once the soup has cooled a bit. Lastly, add the cream and heat until warm.