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–+ servings

Simple Tomato Soup

A simple tomato soup, made from store-bought tomato juice that can be made on short notice, with common ingredients typically stocked in most home kitchens. Starting from fresh tomatoes will require extra time to make tomato puree or juice.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American, French, Italian
Servings 4 people
Calories 90 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups Tomato juice fresh is the best, bottled/canned is next best; tomato puree is fine too, will need to be diluted with equal volume of water first-( i.e., 1 cup puree + 1 cup water = 2 cups tomato juice.)
  • 2 cups water
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1/2 tsp salt adjust as preferred
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground preferred
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp butter if preferred, olive oil is fine as a substitute for butter, for a vegan option - if using olive oil, add later, to retain benefits of olive oil.
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ground (red chilli powder) adjust per spice-level preference
  • 2 tsp dried basil if not available, ok to omit; soup will still taste good, but will not have basil flavor

Garnish

  • 6-8 leaves fresh basil - roughly torn do not cut with a knife if not available, OK to omit: soup will still taste good, but will not have basil flavor do not heat after adding basil- the flavor will be lost easily
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley : chopped if not available, OK to omit
  • 1/4 cup cilantro (fresh coriander leaves): chopped optional- can use instead of parsley; soup will still taste good, but flavor will be different
  • 2 tbsp whipping cream optional, but highly recommended :1-2 tsp per serving; can use thick coconut milk for vegan option (picture shown for the recipe does not have either cream or coconut milk)
  • 1 cup bread croutons optional

Instructions
 

  • Add all soup ingredients, except dried basil, to a medium saucepan (2-3 quart/liter size)
  • Bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring occasionally
  • Lower the heat, cover and simmer 3-4 min, then add dried basil and olive oil (if using). continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 4-6 min
  • Ladle, steaming hot, into individual soup bowls and garnish , as desired with basil, parsley, cilantro, and a drizzle of whipping cream or coconut milk (or just a little dollop of butter - it will melt on top of the hot soup)
  • Serve with crispy toasted/fried croutons on the side, or fresh French bread with butter/pesto. A hearty salad would be nice as an accompaniment too.

From fresh tomatoes: will need 15 min extra time to prepare the tomato puree: procedure described below.

  • 8-9 medium tomatoes needed: to give 2 cups of juice used in the recipe described here. Wash, cut in half lengthwise, trim the stem end with a V-cut to minimize waste, then cut into quarters.
  • Microwave: Place chopped tomatoes in a heat-proof glass bowl, covered, 2 minutes on high. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 10 min. I do not recommend using plastic container, even if it is described as microwave safe. (The tomatoes can react with the plastic material)
    Stove-top: Place chopped tomatoes in a medium sucepan with 1/2 cup water, cook on high for 2-3 min, then loer heat, cover and simmer on low heat for 5-7 min. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 10 min
  • Place the cooked tomatoes in a blender and blend on low-medium speed, until it appears pureed - do not add any water, unless absolutely needed
  • Put through a mesh strainer to catch seeds and skin. Rub the blended tomatoes against the mesh with the back of a sturdy spoon to push it through. Periodically, swipe/scrape the underside of the strainer to collect the puree stuck on the bottom surface of the strainer.
  • When no more is being pushed through, collect the residue left in the strainers, in your fist and squeeze into the strainer. About 2 tbsp of juice will be collected this way.Again, scrape the underside of the strainer, to catch all the pulp stuck there.
  • Put 1/2 cup water to heat. When it is hot, add it to the blender, swirl carefully to catch residual tomato puree stuck to the sides and top of the blender jar. Put this through the mesh strainer too, to collect a little more juice.

Notes

This can be made very quickly, "in a jiffy", so to speak, if tomato juice/puree is on hand. If not, it will take a little extra time and effort to make it from fresh tomatoes. Of course, the taste is the best when made from fresh tomatoes.
I sometimes make extra puree and store it in the freezer in 1/2 cup size containers, and it often comes in handy when I'm in a time-crunch. It is easy to thaw when it is frozen in small containers.
I did not add the cream to the soup to show how lovely the color is; it changes a little when cream is mixed in. The soup tastes excellent even without the cream- so , if you are avoiding the extra fat calories, don't worry,  you will still enjoy  the "light" soup.

Nutrition

Calories: 90kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 3gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 371mgPotassium: 321mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1151IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 2mg
Keyword basil, coconut milk, cream, croutons, tomato juice, tomato puree, Tomatoes
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