Homemade Tomato Soup with Herbs

 

Homemade Tomato Soup with Herbs was a nice break from the super filling stews I've been making lately. Plus it was so much better than the canned version I used to throw together.

When my 3 kids were young, Wednesday evenings became tomato soup night for dinner. We were always in a hurry to make it to church on time, so I made grilled cheese sandwiches or tuna salad sandwiches along with the canned tomato soup.   Of course after awhile we got tired of this, so I moved on to some other meal ideas. My kids are all married now, but they remember this very well and hopefully have forgiven me by now! 

I wanted to make a tomato soup that was homemade last week, so I tried this one from Fine Cooking. I really thought it had too much onion and tasted more like onion tomato soup, so next time I prepare this, I will use only half of the onion. I also added extra herbs and finally came up with a soup that was really good. It is best the second day, and can be frozen for later use. Hope you enjoy this Homemade Tomato Soup with Herbs.

I had hoped to have this posted before now, but we've had computer issues, and blogger is not wanting to load pictures very well either. So I have not abandoned my blog at all and have more recipes to share soon. I so appreciate you all hanging in there with me - love my readers! Hope you enjoy this soup!

 

Homemade Tomato Soup with Herbs

Adapted from Fine Cooking

This soup can be frozen for later use, (up to 3 months). It can also be kept in the refrigerator for several days as long as it is brought to a boil every 2 days.

 

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 of a sweet onion, finely diced- about 3/4 - 1 cup

1 large clove garlic, smashed and peeled

2 tablespoons flour

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock

28 ounce can of whole peeled plum tomatoes, pureed with the juice

1/2 teaspoons sugar - I only needed 1/2 teaspoon, but you could need more if the tomatoes taste acidic.

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 teaspoon dried herbs, ( or 1 tablespoon or more, fresh herbs)- I used basil, and a bit more thyme- you can use Basil, dill, thyme, chives or a mixture.

salt and pepper to taste.

 

In a non-reactive dutch oven, heat the oil and butter over medium low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, but not browned, about 8 minutes.

Add the flour and stir to coat the onion and garlic.

Add the broth, tomatoes, sugar and spring of thyme. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, while stirring to make sure the flour does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover pan, and simmer for 40 minutes.

Discard thyme spring. Stir in other herbs, if using.

Let soup cool somewhat so you can puree it in a blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Reheat if needed, before serving. Enjoy!

 

To puree soup in blender: Process only 1/2 to 1/3 of soup at a time. Remove the center cap from the blender otherwise steam may  build up it may spray soup everywhere. It also helps to cover the top of blender with a towel while blending.