Tomato Basil Soup

If you were to ask my husband what his favorite meal is, he’d probably say tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. Don’t get me wrong, he pretty much loves everything I make, but once in a while, he just wants soup and a sandwich. A cup of hot tomato soup and a simple grilled cheese to be exact. Don’t mess it up with trying to get all fancy. Just plain ol’ grilled cheese and tomato soup!

And since a can of Campbells isn’t exactly blogging worthy, I figured I’d make a big ole pot of homemade Tomato Basil soup. And of course, I’d pair it with a very simple grilled cheese!

I didn’t get all fancy, but I used quality ingredients to make a flavorful and satisfying tomato basil soup.

My recipe originally called for all canned tomatoes, but I decided to roast some tomatoes along with some garlic for some added rich flavor.

And of course, if I’m making soup, out comes my favorite soup pot.

And dinner is served! A cup of hot soup topped with fresh basil and a simple grilled cheese. Other toppings could include: a dallop of sour cream or pesto or maybe a few toasty croutons.

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Tomato Basil Soup

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Author Joy in Every Season

Ingredients

• 15-20 fresh basil leaves
• 4 TBSP butter
• 1 med yellow onion chopped
• 1 head garlic
• 6-8 large fresh ripe tomatoes
• 2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes I used Muir Glen. One can fire roasted and one can crushed w/basil
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2-3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Instructions

• Rough chop the fresh tomatoes and place on rimmed sheet pan. Add head of peeled garlic cloves. Drizzle w/ olive oil (a couple TBSP) and sprinkle with the salt & pepper. Roast in 425* oven for 20-30 minutes.
• When tomatoes have finished roasting, carefully pour into blender (the tomatoes, garlic, and pan juices) and blend until smooth. Be careful while blending hot liquids in the blender. Remove the rubber cap (in center of lid) and place dish towel over top, this allows the steam to escape. Turn on blender at slow speed and blend.
• While tomatoes are roasting, melt butter in large soup pot.
• Add chopped onions and saute till onions are soft.
• Add in blended roasted tomatoes.
• Now blend canned tomatoes and add to soup pot.
• Add in the chicken broth and brown sugar.
• Heat slowly for 20-30 minutes.
• Add in chopped fresh basil, reserving a few leaves for garnish if desired.
• Add about 1/2 cup of the hot soup to the heavy cream to "warm" cream. Then add cream mixture slowly to soup pot stirring continually. Warming the cream first will prevent cream from curdling.
• Continue to cook on med. heat for another 30 minutes.
• Add additional salt, pepper, or brown sugar to taste.