The Best Creamy Tomato Soup

This is the perfect time of year for making soup, and a good tomato soup is one of my favorite things to make. There are, in my opinion, a couple of key components to making a rich, creamy, and delicious tomato soup. The good news is that all of these components actually make for a super simple recipe.

First, you need to start with really good quality tomatoes. That’s not such an easy thing to find this time of year, which is why I always use jarred rather than fresh tomatoes. I told you this would be a simple recipe! That said, don’t just buy any old can of tomatoes, make sure you’re selecting a really good product. I personally love Happy Girl Kitchen Co, jarred dry farmed tomatoes. For added depth, I always add some fresh fennel and roasted red peppers to my tomato soup. It gives the soup a slightly sweet and smoky flavor, without being too intense. Last but not least, I don’t use any cream in this recipe. Instead, I used canned butter beans. They puree so beautifully, and everyone who tastes this soup will be certain that it’s loaded with cream, not heart healthy beans! The best thing about this recipe is that it takes very little time to make.

Delicious. Nutritious. Simple.  I’d say we’ve got all the bases for a winning meal covered. This soup pairs beautifully with fresh baguette, or grilled cheese. For grilled cheese sandwiches use a rich and nutty cheese, such as gruyere or raclette.

Creamy Tomato Soup

Serves 6

1/3 cup olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, halved

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 bulb fennel, sliced

1 large carrot, sliced

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Pinch of fresh thyme, optional

¼ cup red wine

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

16 ounces (453 grams) quality jarred tomatoes

10 ounces (283 grams) roasted red pepper strips, drained

1 ¼ cup canned butter beans, drained

3 ½ – 4 cups vegetable broth

For garnish

¼ cup thinly sliced basil

6 tablespoons herb marinated goat cheese

In a large pot, over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, fennel and carrot. Stir in the sugar, salt, pepper and fresh thyme. Sauté for about 6 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Stir in the red wine and smoked paprika. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add in the jarred tomatoes, included all of the liquid in the jar. Drain the pepper strips and the canned beans. Add them to the pot along with 3 ½ cups of vegetable broth. Cover the soup and cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes, until the carrots are fork tender.

Cool the mixture slightly. Blend in batches using a blender, or blend in the pot using an immersion blender. Once smooth, you can add additional vegetable broth, if you prefer a looser soup. Just before serving, top each bowl with one tablespoon of herb marinated goat cheese. Drizzle a bit of the oil from the goat cheese onto the soup. Sprinkle the basil chiffonade on top and serve.

This soup can be stored in the fridge for up to five days, though it’s never lasted that long in our house.