Whip up comfort in a bowl with a tried-and-tested recipe for Creamy Homemade Tomato Soup.
I have two women to thank for inspiring my career in food media: the legendary Ina Garten and the equally as legendary woman who I call Mom. Both are superstars in my world, and both instilled a love of entertaining and cooking, especially for comfort.
No matter the season, Creamy Homemade Tomato Soup has become a comforting favorite at our house.
My love affair with tomato soup actually began when I was an intern at Food Network. The office was in Chelsea Market in New York City, and on the bottom floor was an iconic hole-in-the-wall bakery called Sarabeth’s. Famous for her jams and jellies, Sarabeth is a culinary icon.
While I’d rank her English muffins and strawberry jam at the top of my NYC’s Best Eats list, what really drew me to her storefront time and time again was the creamy tomato soup. Couple Sarabeth as the original soup-spiration and Ina Garten on the top-rated recipe front, and we have a match made in culinary heaven.
My spin swaps fresh tomatoes for canned, San Marzano to be exact! The result is an intensely tomato-flavored and seriously silky soup prime for topped with a drizzle of my mom Noni’s famous basil pesto. That’s tree rockstar woman inspiring one tried-and-tested family favorite recipe!
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Add the olive oil to a large heavy-bottomed stock pot set over medium-low heat.
Add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are transluscent and the carrots are fork-tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil and chicken stock.
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Carefully transfer a portion of the soup into a blender or food processor. Blend the soup in batches then return it to the pot. Whisk in the heavy cream.
Cook the soup over medium-low heat until warmed throughout, then taste and season with salt, pepper and sugar, as desired. Serve the soup in bowls and garnish with a drizzle of basil pesto (optional).
