Tomatoes always taste best when fresh picked from the garden, and this carries on to what you make with those tomatoes. I love to savor that fresh tomato taste all year long by boiling down the tomatoes and making as much soup and sauce as my freezer will hold. This tomato soup recipe I stole from my sister in law, Alicia. It is so quick and delicious, you will NEVER eat tomato soup from a can or box again!! Pair with a grilled cheese sandwich and you have everyone’s favorite meal!
**Of course I altered it a bit from the original, so here’s my version!
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions)
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
5 large tomatoes
1 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish
3 cups Vegetable stock
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup almond milk- you can make it extra rich with whole milk or cream
Croutons, for garnish
Directions
Boil tomatoes until skin breaks. Cool completely! Peel, mash, and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, basil, veg stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender. Turn off burner and blend using a hand blender (I have a great one from Sur la Table for $25!). Add milk or cream and stir to mix. Top with croutons and julienned basil and serve!
**The original recipe says to process through a food mill and discard the pulp. I don’t mind the seeds so I leave it, but if you don’t, you can strain or use a food mill. Let me know what you think! I’ve never used one.