Quick to prepare and both sweet and savory in flavor, tomato soup makes for a tasty homemade meal, regardless of your cooking experience level. While not entirely necessary, flour can be added to the soup to give it a thicker, more hearty consistency. When using flour in tomato soup, it's important to use the proper amount and, just as importantly, know when to add it during the soup's preparation. Keep in mind that, while it may improve the soup's texture, flour also adds calories to the meal.
Step 1
Chop the Spanish onion, carrot, celery stalk and cloves of garlic.
Step 2
Put 4 tbsp. butter into a large soup pot, set the soup pot onto the stove over medium-low heat and allow the butter to melt.
Step 3
Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the pot once the butter melts. Cover the pot and cook the vegetables until they begin to soften, usually between eight and 10 minutes. Stir the vegetables once every minute while they cook.
Step 4
Add the all-purpose flour to the vegetables and stir. Cook the flour with the vegetables for three minutes, stirring slowly and constantly. The flour must cook just long enough that the raw flour taste disappears, but not so long that the flour burns.
Step 5
Add the chicken broth and can of crushed tomatoes to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
Step 6
Stuff three fresh parsley sprigs, three fresh thyme sprigs and a bay leaf into a sachet. Drop the sachet into the soup mixture and reduce the heat to a simmer.
Step 7
Simmer the soup for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat and let it cool down for 15 minutes, or until it no longer steams.
Step 8
Remove the sachet from the soup. Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until the soup is smooth. Depending on the size of the blender, it may be necessary to work in batches.
Step 9
Return the soup to the pot and mix in the heavy cream. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.
Tips and Warnings
- Substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth to make the soup vegetarian-friendly. Substitute the cream with milk or half-and-half for a lower calorie soup. Top the soup with cooked bacon or croutons, if desired.
Things You'll Need
- Knife
- Cutting board
- 1 Spanish onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 4 cloves garlic
- Soup pot
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
- Wooden spoon
- 5 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 4 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1, 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 3 parsley sprigs
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- Sachet
- Blender
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
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