Fresh Tomato Soup

This recipe is awesome, and so easy! I made it when we were given a bunch of tomatoes that I knew we would never be able to eat before they went bad. It's adapted from several tomato soup recipes because I couldn't find one that I liked. The best part? I've reduced some of the oil, cream, and sugar and removed the flour, so it's only about 100 calories per cup (depending on how much cream you put in)!

FRESH TOMATO SOUP

 Ingredients:

-1 sliced onion

-4 garlic cloves--minced (or a 3-4 TBLS minced garlic)

-1 TBLS olive oil

-4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

-2 cups chicken broth (homemade broth makes the soup taste better, but you'll add a little to the total calorie count)

-1 teaspoon salt

-1 teaspoons white sugar, or to taste

-Basil, oregano, sage, Thyme-----as desired.

-12 oz tomato paste

-2 Tbls vinegar

-Pinch of Cayenne pepper.

-1/4 cup heavy cream, milk, Coffee creamer, or half and half (optional)--

Directions:

1. Saute chopped garlic and olive oil. Add chopped onion and saute until tender. Then add chopped tomatoes (with seeds and skin) and bring to a boiling simmer.

2. Add the chicken stock. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes.

3. Cool completely and add basil, sage, Thyme, etc. (if you have a hand blender you can use that without waiting for the soup to cool. But if you are using a blender or food processor, make sure you cool it to warm before you puree it! I put the whole pot in the fridge for about 10-20 minutes)

4. Puree in a blender or food processor

5. Pour mixture back into pot. Add tomato paste and stir. Heat on medium until it bubbles.

6. Season with sugar, vinegar, Cayenne pepper, and salt. Adjust to taste.

7. For a creamier soup, stir in 1/4 cup  to a cup of milk or cream.

8. Stir well, and serve hot!

 

Serve with crackers, shredded cheese, or a toasted cheese sandwich!  

This recipe freezes very well, and reheats easily. We have found that this amount of soup serves 4-6 easily. For more people, double as needed.