Last week was really cold and snowy here in Michigan. Soup weather, right?
I have a number of recipes on my list for next year that I’m determined to master. I’ve never made homemade tomato soup so I thought I would give it a try. It turned out wonderful but the recipe called for two cans of tomatoes. I thought, “Wait a minute. Canned tomatoes for homemade tomato soup? That doesn’t make any sense at all.”
However, this seemed like a good first recipe and as luck would have it, I had a homemade canned jar of tomatoes that my daughter-in-law gave me in the fall. No extra salt or preservatives. So while I followed this recipe, I was able to cut out one of the cans. Also, the recipe doesn’t call for blending the soup to eliminate the chunks. I decided I wanted it semi-chunky so I blended about three-quarters of the soup before serving.
We have a wonderful cheese/specialty vinegar and oil, store in our town called “The Cheese Lady.” I have a number of her vinaigrettes and I use them on just about everything. In fact, the last time I was there, it was suggested I try and splash some of the tablespoons of vinegar in sparkling water for a refreshing drink. I haven’t tried it yet but I have the sparkling water and am going to give it a try. I think it might be good.
She has since franchised her business and there are three other stores in Michigan. Ours is the flagship store. I love it and there’s kind of a neat story behind her success.
We have a great farmer’s market and for years the owner had a stall where she sold her cheese out of the back of a truck. She was nicknamed, “The Cheese Lady” by her customers. She sold her cheese that way for many, many years and then about five years ago she opened a store and it was an immediate success. Anyway, the cheese you see on the French bread above is a blue /goat cheese mixture that is to die for. It was a great combo.
Copycat Panera Creamy Tomato Basil Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp crushed garlic
- 1 14 oz can chicken broth {or 2 cups}
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 15-20 Basil leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Combine the tomatoes, broth, and garlic bring to a boil and let boil for 10 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the sugar and butter and mix until they are dissolved, melted and well combined.
- Very slowly pour in the heavy cream while simultaneously stirring until all the cream is combined and the soup is creamy.
- Stir in the basil.
- I like to serve it hot garnished with a dollop of pesto and freshly grated parmesan cheese!
I forgot to take a picture of the soup garnished with the cheese and basil leaf but I did that as well.
God bless and have a good day.
Categories: LIFE
Looks delicious.
It really was and I’m not a big soup lover. God bless.