I never fancied myself a fan of tomato soup. My memories of tomato soup include watered down Campbell’s soup from the can. But I thought I’d give it try homemade style – and I’d say, it’s about thyme, ha! This recipe is really easy, you could make it in less than 30 minutes and it tastes amazing. I think this could easily become a staple at our house!
Tomato Soup with Thyme and Basil, and Homemade Thyme Croutons
Ingredients
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 – 14 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
- 2 – 14 oz cans of whole tomatoes
- 2 cups of chicken stock (or veggie stock)
- 1 tsp of sea salt
- 1 tsp of sugar
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 Cup Half & Half
- 2 Tablespoons dried basil (I didn’t have fresh)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh Thyme
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
- Optional – Thyme roasted croutons (recipe below)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan add olive oil and saute the garlic. Be careful not to burn.
- Add all the tomatoes, including juice from the whole tomatoes. You can crush the whole tomatoes as you throw them in but I just used an immersion blender at the end. I have this one – Cuisinart CSB-76BC SmartStick 200-Watt Immersion Hand Blender, Brushed Chrome (Amazon).
- Add stock, salt, pepper and sugar. Simmer on medium for about 10 minutes.
- Right before serving, reduce heat to low. Stir in half and half, basil and thyme.
- Use an immersion blender if you’d like to make it smoother. Be careful, it’s hot.
- Top with parmesan and thyme roasted croutons
I think this soup would probably freeze really well. Make a double batch and freeze in Foodsaver bags (I have something similar to this – FoodSaver Vertical Vacuum Sealer, White).
Thyme roasted croutons – Take a loaf of bread (we used a stale one from the freezer), cut into 1 inch cubes. Toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with fresh thyme. Bake on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes, until golden brown.
I’d love to hear what you think! How do you make your tomato soup?
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