Healthy Creamy Tomato Soup
Tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich can warm your belly and your soul in a hurry on cold and dreary days. You get a dose of vitamin C, lycopene, and potassium from the tomatoes, protein and calcium from the cheese, and some quality fiber-rich carbs from bread, if you choose wisely. Leftovers freeze great. And the possibilities for embellishing are endless. Add white beans, sausages, and cooked spinach and you have a hearty meal in one. 6-8 servings. — Susan Puckett
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 or 4 cloves)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (or ½ teaspoon dried)
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 (28-ounce) cans San Marzano tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves (plus extra leaves for garnish)
- 2 or 3 sprigs of thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste (optional)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, or to taste (plus extra for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until the butter is melted.
- Add the onion and carrot, along with ½ teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper; cook and stir until the onion is translucent and very soft, but not browned, reducing the heat slightly, if necessary, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and cook and stir until softened but not browned, a minute or two longer.
- Add the tomatoes with their juices, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, then add the broth, and the basil and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are fall-apart tender and the soup has reduced by about 25 percent, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender. Or allow it to cool slightly and puree in batches in a blender or food processor, then return it to the pan. Add the cream; cook and stir over low heat until heated through.
