Creamy Tomato Soup

It’s Thursday and I’ve therefore decided that this post warrants a story! Okay, back when I lived in Stockton during my four years at University of the Pacific, I loved loved loved to go to Boudin for their creamy tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Whenever my parents visited or friends wanted to go out for a meal, Boudin was my go to place. I know, definitely not the healthiest. That meal was extremely high in calories, quite expensive for a college student, and I’m still not sure if their tomato soup actually contained that many tomatoes…

During that time my mom had also discovered Trader Joe’s prepackaged tomato soup that tasted just like Boudin’s–a much cheaper and just as tasty alternative. Whenever I visited home, she’d send me back to my measly apartment with at least 3 containers of the creamy tomato soup. I couldn’t cook very well back then and so my diet was mainly composed of the tomato soup, microwaved vegetables, and quinoa. Fast forward to 2 years post graduation and my mom has managed to make the world’s best tasting tomato soup that I am learning to make myself. If Boudin’s tomato soup tastes good, this one tastes at the very least two times better. Granted, I may be biased because it is my mom’s cooking.

This past weekend my mom made this soup at least twice. Even in this warm summer weather, my family devoured every last drop. I told you it was good! Recipe is below. It’ll serve at least 8 people. Your family and guests won’t even know that they’re eating a low calorie bowl of Vitamin C. Eat up!

Ingredients:

• 1 onion (diced)
• 20 roma tomatoes (cut in sixths)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter (optional)
• 1  15 oz. can (1 1/2 cups) of vegetable broth (if you can find one without celery, that’d be best) or 1 1/2 cup water
• 3 fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• 1/2 cup milk (I used 1%, but you can use any milk of your choice)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sautee the onions until they are opaque, then add the salt, chili flakes, and garlic. Stir the garlic until it is a golden brown. Add the tomatoes and stir them for about 10 minutes, breaking the tomatoes apart in the process. Then add the broth, lower the heat, and cover the pot for another 10 minutes (until the tomatoes are very soft).
2. Add the basil, turn off the heat, let it sit for about 5 minutes (let it cool as a safety precaution before you blend it). Use the immersion blender to puree the soup until there are no more chunks (soup is smooth). Turn the heat back to medium-high heat, stir in the milk, and add salt and pepper to taste. Then serve the soup.

Note: If you don’t have a hand/immersion blender, you can wait until your soup is cool and blend it all until it is smooth. I haven’t tried it that way, but I’ve heard that that method works quite well.

If you’re looking for something warm, nutritious, and tasty to serve your family, this soup should be your go to soup. It’s creamy, tart, and has a slight spicy kick to it. The best part about it all is that by cooking this soup yourself, you’ll know exactly what you’re feeding your family. As much as I love eating at restaurants, not being aware of all of the ingredients that they’re using sometimes irks me. Homemade soup = guarantee in fresh ingredients and nutrients. You’ll know for a fact that you’re keeping yourself and your family healthy!

Health Benefits: Tomatoes are high in vitamin C while also containing a significant amount of other vitamins such as A and K. They are also good sources of Potassium,  folate, fiber, antioxidants, and more. This makes them good for helping with maintaining good skin, eye health, blood pressure, etc. 

My next post will be on Tuesday. I’ll be in LA for the weekend to visit my lovely grammy and cousins! Have a happy and healthy weekend 🙂

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