One of our favorite cold weather meals is homemade tomato soup, and this recipe ticks all the boxes.
- It’s easy
- It’s inexpensive
- Tastes fancy and hearty
- It’s flexible – add croutons, and/or pasta to make it more filling
It is a special favorite in our family because we make it with our own homegrown tomatoes that we can ourselves. Of course, you can use store-bought tomatoes with good results, but if you preserve your own tomatoes, you should really try this recipe.
We’ve been making this for years, but I think we got the original recipe from food editor Ginna Parsons’ weekly column in the, then, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.
We use homemade croutons to give this soup some awesome texture, and to make it more hearty. A bowl of the rich tomato-ey goodness poured over homemade croutons and topped with parmesan makes it a full meal – lunch or supper! But, you can eat it without the croutons, too. Like, straight from the pot. Not that I did that…
Croutons are the perfect garnish
If you have never made your own croutons, it is SO EASY, and SO WORTH the extra few minutes to make them! Just use some French bread, or a baguette you have on hand, or a freshly-bought one. Cut it into chunks and put them in a large bowl. Spray or sprinkle some quality olive oil over them, and toss them around to evenly, but lightly, coat. Toss them on a cookie sheet in a 400° oven for about 10 minutes or until they are toasty and brown. Great for snacks, and very yummy in soups or by the handful!
Quality Matters
Always use the best ingredients you can. If you don’t have hand-canned tomatoes, try to at least get the best ones you can on the store shelves. Same for Parmesan cheese – please tell me you know to not use the powdered stuff in the can… right? At least get the shredded stuff in the package, or, to feel really snazzy, get you a block of Parmesan and shave or grate pieces off that – SO GOOD!
Tuscan Tomato Soup
2½ cups French bread cubes
1 can chicken broth
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
4 garlic cloves
1½ teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon pepper
5 teaspoons Parmesan cheese
2 quarts canned tomatoes (or 2 store-bought cans diced tomatoes)
Preheat oven to 400°. Make croutons with bread by arranging cubed bread on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Coat lightly with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes or until dry and toasted. Set aside (hide if you are at my house—the kids love them!)
Heat oil in large saucepan over low to medium heat. Sauté garlic for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, vinegar, parsley, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Divide croutons among five bowls. Ladle 1 cup soup over croutons and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
In the summer, this is particularly good with a bit of chopped fresh basil sprinkled in before serving. And you can put in some pasta, if you wish, though, that kind of makes it something else altogether, doesn’t it?
This family favorite is included in my cookbook, Cooking from Home, which you can order online from the link on the right. There’s lots of great recipes and photos included. It makes a great wedding gift, I’m told!
