Savory Tomato Soup Makes a Heart-Warming March Dinner

The month of March is known to come in like a lion and out like a lamb, and we can certainly anticipate a few snow showers in early March and perhaps a few more chilly nights by the fire, as well. This is the perfect month to use the last of your frozen or canned tomatoes from last summer’s garden and make a comforting, warming and nutritious soup. The rich taste will bring back memories of the abundant garden or farmers market and fill your cells with energy captured from the warm sun. This soup can be frozen for up to three weeks in an airtight container.

Savory Tomato Soup

Yield: 6 cups

8 Roma tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
     (or canned/frozen equivalent)

Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

2-4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped small

2 Tbsp unsalted butter (or plant-based high-heat cooking butter)

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp thyme, minced (use fresh)
     (If that’s not available, use 1 tsp dried)

1½ cups tomato juice

4 Roma tomatoes, chopped and squashed with hands
     (or canned/frozen equivalent)

2 Tbsp dried basil

1 Tbsp sugar (optional)

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

⅔ cup milk or cream (or a creamy plant-based milk like cashew)

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (or melty plant-based cheese)

Photo credit Tiffany Hinton

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Place the tomato halves onto a baking sheet, arranging so they do not overlap, and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast tomatoes for about 1 hour. You don’t have to flip them.

While tomatoes are roasting, melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent ~ 5 minutes.

Add in the garlic and thyme, stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add crushed tomatoes (juice and all), basil and sugar. Stir the mixture, cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes. 

Remove the cover and add the stock and roasted tomatoes.

Replace the cover and allow to simmer for another 30 minutes stirring occasionally. If you have an immersion blender, puree everything in the pot until it’s creamy and smooth. If you don’t, you can add this liquid to a food processor or blender but be careful, as this is hot. Refer to your blender/food processor’s instructions on how to properly handle hot foods. Please again, be careful and take precautions.

If using anything but an immersion blender, add the soup back into the pot. 

Add in the milk and stir until all combined. The soup will lighten in color to an orangish-color.

Add in the Parmesan cheese and stir. Let this simmer, uncovered a few more minutes to allow the cream to warm up in the soup.

Recipe courtesy of Tiffany Hinton, founder of Cultivating Guts.
Connect online at @iamtiffanyhinton and listen to her podcast, Cultivating Guts, on Spotify or iTunes.