Budget Bytes

12 July 2010

garden tomato soup

$5.95 recipe / $0.74 serving
One of my goals this summer was to make tomato soup from scratch... and by scratch I mean whole tomatoes, not canned. Tomato soup made from fresh tomatoes is a completely different beast from soup made from canned tomatoes, neither being inferior to the other. I love each for their own attributes but had never made one from scratch and was quite determined to do so.

Despite the fact that this recipe requires pounds of fresh vegetables that are cut, diced and shredded prior to cooking, it was actually very quick and easy to assemble. I didn't feel like going out to buy a pint of cream so I decided to use a little trick that I learned in the food service biz for making soups taste "creamy" without using cream (we used this trick in a fresh green gazpacho). The secret is bread crumbs. A small amount of bread crumbs are boiled into the soup to add thickness and a surprisingly creamy flavor. I was so surprised at the creamy, buttery flavor when I tasted the soup that I demanded to know who snuck butter into the broth... but then I remembered that I was the only one home and it must have been the bread crumbs. Amazing.

I worked off of this recipe by Emeril Lagasse and, of course, made a few alterations.

If you're not into fresh tomato soup, stay tuned. I'm sure to whip up a batch made from canned tomatoes some time soon.

Garden Tomato Soup


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Total Recipe cost: $5.95
Servings Per Recipe: 8 (1 cup each)
Cost per serving: $0.74
Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 30 min. Total: 45 min.

INGREDIENTS COST
1 med. onion $0.42
3 stalks celery $0.37
2 medium carrots $0.25
3 cloves garlic $0.12
1/4 cup olive oil $0.42
4 lb.s (about 5 medium) ripe tomatoes $3.41
2 tsp chicken base (or 2 cups stock) $0.20
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs $0.09
1/2 Tbsp brown sugar $0.02
1.5 tsp (or to taste) salt $0.05
1/2 cup loose packed fresh basil $0.50
1 tsp worchestershire sauce $0.05
to taste fresh ground pepper $0.05
TOTAL $5.95


STEP 1: Finely dice the onion, celery and garlic. Wash and shred the carrots (use a large cheese shredder). Cook all four in a large pot with 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat until softened (about 10 minutes).

STEP 2: Wash and dice the tomatoes. Add them to the cooked down vegetables and cook the mixture until the tomatoes are soft and begin to fall apart (about 10 minutes).

STEP 3: Add the chicken base and one cup of water (or just two cups broth) along with the rest of the ingredients: bread crumbs, salt, pepper, brown sugar, worchestershire sauce and chopped basil. Continue to cook for 10 more minutes.

STEP 4: Working in batches, puree the mixture in a blender until smooth. Be very careful; hot liquids in a blender can be very dangerous!

Eat the soup hot with a big slice of nice crusty bread - yummmmm!


Step By Step Photos


diced veggies
Dice the onion, garlic and celery as small as possible and shred the carrots. Small pieces = faster cooking time. Cook the vegetables in a large pot with 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat until they have softened.

cooked vegetables
After about ten minutes, they will all be soft (and super fragrant).

add tomatoes
Wash and dice the tomatoes, add them to the pot and continue to cook until soft. The tomatoes do not need to be cut as small because their high water content help them break down quickly.

add stock, bread crumbs
After the tomatoes have cooked down and released their juices, add the chicken base, one cup of water and the bread crumbs.

fresh basil
Chop about a half cup of fresh basil leaves and add them to the pot.

seasoning
Add the rest of the seasonings (salt, pepper, worchestershire and brown sugar) and continue to cook for about 10 minutes. Puree the soup in batches until it is smooth and creamy.

Garden Tomato Soup

NOTE: Usually you have to buy carrots and celery in a bag or bunch but only need to use a few of each. I hate watching the rest get all rubbery in the fridge then eventually go to waste. I love soup and will most likely make soup again soon so I decided to prep the rest of my carrots and celery (prep = wash and chop), pack them into freezer bags and freeze them for later. Many soups use celery and carrots as the base for the broth so I know these will get put to good use!

freezer veggies

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6 Comments:

  • At July 12, 2010 at 11:12 PM , Anonymous Ed said...

    Love the tip about the breadcrumbs and great idea for the carrots and celery!

     
  • At July 13, 2010 at 5:53 PM , Blogger cw said...

    "I was so surprised at the creamy, buttery flavor when I tasted the soup that I demanded to know who snuck butter into the broth... but then I remembered that I was the only one home and it must have been the bread crumbs. Amazing."

    Certain breadcrumbs have MSG added (sometimes under sneaky names) so if you're wondering where the umami comes from, that could be a culprit :D

     
  • At July 15, 2010 at 7:03 PM , Anonymous MissPinkKate said...

    Made it! Love it! Chopped all the veggies with my food processor and used my immersion blender to blend at the end. Another win for Budget Bytes :D

     
  • At October 2, 2012 at 5:07 PM , Blogger Ruby Tell said...

    OK, blending hot liquids in a blender is one of the most frightening experiences of my life. Just, y'know, for the record.

     
  • At October 5, 2012 at 10:39 PM , Anonymous Suzy q said...

    Made it. Loved it. Boom tick. Such a great recipe!

    I also add grinded up some salt and saffron in a mortar/pestle thingy and added it. Smelled heavenly and tasted even better!

     
  • At April 4, 2013 at 3:40 PM , Blogger Danica West said...

    Oh my goodness, this is amazing! Despite feeling I should like it, I usually can't stand tomato soup, but I think I could eat this every day. And that's just with storebought everything; I'm having happy thoughts about when my garden is ready. Thank you for all your great recipes and ideas! You always inspire me to do better for my dinner than a frozen pizza. :)

     

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