Tomato Basil Soup (French Onion Style)
Call it a new take on pasta, faux-French-onion soup, or pizza in a bowl! Any way you name it, I’ll eat it. This is a simple and hearty tomato basil soup recipe. The kicker is, you line your soup bowl with slices of bread and top it with cheese (like French onion soup) for a real treat.
I wanted to make a tomato soup because I get really excited any time I buy green tomatoes. They are so tart and have a lot more acid than “red” tomatoes, and really add a nice taste to a soup or sauce. Butter, cayenne pepper, basil, white wine, and cream top add layers of flavor you can’t imagine.
Ingredients:
1 pound ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1 pound ripe green tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 large Spanish onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup of canned crushed tomatoes
1 handful fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 cups of chicken/vegetable stock/ water
1/3 c white wine
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c heavy cream
sliced French bread/baguette
fresh grated cheese
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Slice tomatoes lengthwise, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 30 minutes.
In a pot, heat olive oil and butter. Sautee chopped garlic and onions. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne. Sweat the onions until brown, about 8 minutes. Splash some white wine into the onions and garlic and add the crushed tomatoes.
Add the stock or water to the onions and crushed tomatoes until it comes to a boil.
Cook roasted tomatoes and their juices in the soup pot with the stock. Add sugar and freshly chopped basil. More salt and pepper can be added here to taste.
Reduce heat once soup is at a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Pass through a blender for desired pureed thickness.
Add heavy cream and stir in well.
In your bowl, arrange thin slices of French bread and pour soup.
Garnish with grated parmesan, cheddar, or ementhal and ENJOY!
