Thursday, March 19, 2009

Classic Tomato Soup

This is really not the season to be sharing this recipe. I should be sharing it with you in August or September when you are drowning in tomatoes. I would have told you about it then, but I decided not to can this wonderful soup this past year because I was over zealous in my canning of it the year before. This is how I learn.

It's on my list for this coming harvest season because we are running low. Baby attached to my hip, I am making this soup again. I am sharing this recipe with you now because it's perfect for these cool, rainy days. And, it's even more perfect for cold, snowy ones.

I have always adored tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. It's a meal that exudes comfort for me. Before we started growing our own food, I was a proud supporter of Campbell's Tomato Soup. It was one of those items I refused to buy the generic version of. Don't mess with my tomato soup.

Then, a little over two years ago, I came across this recipe. I tried it. I loved it. I have not eaten Campbell's since. In the original recipe, they recommend making extra and freezing it. I am pretty darn comfortable with canning, so I decided to can it instead. It worked beautifully.

So, here is my assignment: to remind you of this recipe come tomato season. Here is your assignment: to make it when I remind you of this recipe come tomato season. Agreed?

Usually, when I serve this tomato soup (all that's required is to pour it in a saucepan and reheat it) I make grilled cheese sandwiches for along side/dunking. Yesterday, Jamey made oatmeal rolls and roasted some of our garlic that is beginning to sprout. So, instead of grilled cheese, we toasted oatmeal rolls with roasted garlic spread atop. Perfect. Even Sam preferred the garlic-topped rolls to the plain ones.


Roasted garlic with black pepper. The green you see is the garlic sprouting.



Classic Tomato Soup (adapted from Everyday FOOD magazine, March 2006 issue)
This recipe makes 6 quarts and can be frozen or canned. *If you intend to can this recipe, see the notes below (under "To Can") before starting.

8 tbsp. (or 1 stick) butter
4 tbsp. olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup all purpose flour
6 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup chopped, fresh basil
7 cups chicken or vegetable broth
14 cups whole, peeled tomatoes
3-5 tsp. salt
3-4 tbsp. honey
freshly ground black pepper

In a large stock pot, melt butter and add oil and chopped onion. Cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and tomato paste and cook another minute or two. Add chopped basil, broth and tomatoes, breaking the tomatoes up a bit with your spoon. Bring it to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Puree the soup one of two ways. If you have an immersion blender, use this in your pot to puree the soup to a consistency of your liking (you can puree it smooth or leave it a bit chunky). If you do not have an immersion blender, transfer the soup to your blender in batches until it is pureed (and, most importantly, add "immersion blender" to your wish list- it's a wonderful tool).

With the pureed soup in the stock pot, season it with salt, pepper and honey, tasting as you go.


To Can:

*We can this recipe as is, but if you would like to increase the acidity further, soften the onion in a little water instead of butter or oil and place 2 tbsp. white vinegar or lemon juice in the bottom of each quart jar before adding the hot soup. 

Once it's perfect, transfer the soup to hot, sterile quart jars, leaving adequate head space. Clean the rims and top with hot, sterile lids and rings. Place the jars in a hot water bath for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the jars from the canner and wait for the blessed 'pops'. This recipe makes 6 quarts.

And, don't fret because you want some of this soup now. These days will be here again before we know it.

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44 comments:

  1. I'll be trying to make this soon as I get enough tomatoes --it sounds so good and I've wanted to make tomato soup for a long time--
    vickie

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  2. have you tried leaving the peels on for the soup like you do for sauce?? peeling roma tomatoes makes me crazy...therefore, I try to do NOTHING that requires me to get to the crazy point!!

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  3. Christy, I do peel them for this soup. I don't mind it so much because the soup is so easy otherwise. If you try it without peeling them, please tell me how it turned out. I'd love to skip this step, too!

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    1. If you blanch tomatoes for a minute in boiling water and then dunk them in cool water, the skins just squish right off. Easy peasy! Hope this tip helps someone.

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    2. Freeze the tomatoes overnight. The skins will slip off when you run them under hot tap water.

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  4. Thank you so much for this recipe! My son is allergic to milk and finding dairy-free tomato soup recipes that TASTE good is harder than you'd think! We made plenty to last us this year!

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  5. I am brand new to canning and preserving food. I know how to make tomato sauce (just made my first batch, went great!), how do I make tomato paste? Keep cooking it down? Thanks!

    Oh! And in case I didn't tell you, with the CSN gift card I won, I got a steam canner (LOVE IT!), a basic canning tools set (the jar lifter, magnetic lid lifter, wide-mouth funnel, etc), and 3 really pretty Italian made jars, which oh-so-niftily, I can use the standard Ball lids/rings to can with instead of the one piece canning lid it came with. Next on my wish list are the Tattler reusable lids and then a pressure canner. God bless you for giving! And for getting me in the spirit too - I'm seeing lots of canned goodies as gifts going out this year :D

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  6. bethanial,
    Thank you so much for sharing what you used your e-card for! I'm excited to try the Tattler lids in the future, too.

    As far as tomato paste goes, I've never made it. We have made ketchup before and I imagine it's similar. If you find and recipe you like, let me know!

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  7. could you freeze this soup instead of canning it?

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  8. Anonymous,
    I haven't tried freezing it, but I don't see why it wouldn't work just fine:-).

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  9. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I just made this soup for lunch and it's exactly what I didn't know I needed! I just quickly blanched the tomatoes while I was browning the onion, and it was so easy to slip the skins off.

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  10. Hi, I'm enjoying looking at your blog, but I have a question about this recipe. I know that for tomato sauce it is very important that you not add oil. My understanding has always been that it is because it can turn rancid & spoil the sauce. So I'm curious about the oil in this recipe for tomato soup. Any insight?

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    1. I know that this is a concern for some, but we have been making it and canning it this way for years with no problems. If you are the slightest bit hesitant, simply saute the onion in water until soft, skipping the butter and oil. I'm sure you will still get fabulous tasting results:-). Thanks for the question and for visiting:-)!

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  11. My table is full of tomatoes and now I know what to do with them. We always buy tomato soup through the year for casseroles and such. I am excited to try this! Thanks for the recipe.

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  12. I love your blog, and this receipe but I do have a question about the flour in the receipe.. I canned beef stew last year and read that you should not put flour in anything you are canning, just kinda concerned about it.

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    1. We use the flour and have had no problems, but I'm sure you could easily omit this ingredient and you'd still get excellent results:-).

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  13. Hello Jane, I have to first tell you how excited I am to have found your site. I came across it while pinning a few new canning ideas. I am a stay at home Christian mom with four kids and a wonderful Christian husband who provides me with the opportunity and also lives by the Bible, to be at home. I love to garden and can up my bounty to provide for my family. I also love finding those with the same life. I have been going through your recipes and will def give the tomato sauce a try. I also do salsa, juice, whole tomatoes, spaghetti sauce and tomato soup. Since I have 46 tomato plants out this year, we are busting with tomatoes. Today I am trying a new on and making my own paste. My motto it never hurts to try it once so I will let you know how it turns out before I share it! I do want to share my grandmothers tomato soup recipe with you. Its similar to yours but I think you might like it too.

    Tomato Soup
    1/2 bushel Roma tomatoes
    3 (or more) Hot Banana peppers
    1 bunch of celery
    4 onions
    2-3 cloves garlic
    In a large stock pot chop all veggies. Be sure to leave celery leave on for more flavor. Simmer until tender and run through a food mill. Return to a large stock pot and add 1 and 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 and 1/2 lb butter and 1/2 cup of salt. Simmer util dissolved, and bring to a boil. At this point add 1 and 1/2 cup of corn starch dissolved in water. Bring back to a boil. Jar up and add to pressure canner and pressure for 5 min at 10lbs.

    My family loves this soup and like you said you just cannot beat tomato soup, grilled cheese and dill pickles on a cold winter day! I hope you enjoy!

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    1. What a great idea for hot peppers, celery and a bit of garlic to be added into the recipe! That makes it sound a bit more like my Amish neighbors recipe for her tomato juice! YUM

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  14. This looks like a delicious recipe! You mentioned about 14 cups of tomatoes. I'm figuring that translates into about 3 1/2 quarts of tomatoes. When doing big batches of something, it's hard to figure it down to cups. I have some wonderful Amish neighbors that have taught me to can, but it seems I'm stuck with measuring everything with quarts or pints. I'm also guessing that if I am using a canner pot to cook this in, I might be able to easily triple this recipe with plenty of room. Does that sound reasonable to you? I guess I'll try it and see where it leads me..... Thank you so much for your beautiful blog and all the wonderful posts!

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    1. The tomatoes certainly cook down, so doubling it and maybe tripling it (I don't know the exact size of your pot) is possible. Of course, make sure to do plenty of taste tests when multiplying a recipe like this so it's flavored well:-).

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    2. This is an excellent recipe and one I've added to my permanent list. Yesterday I made a small batch to make sure that our family enjoyed it enough to make several batches of it and it was a huge hit! Our daughter is not a big tomato fan, but she absolutely loved it. She is not one for declaring any favorite food, but after dinner last night, she declared this recipe is her new favorite.

      For variation sake, I might alter it every once in a while by adding sweet or hot peppers, garlic, and/or celery to give us a little variety with it, but I really wouldn't encourage changing anything about this recipe at all. It is perfect just the way it is!

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  15. I love this soup recipe! I can for fun, it's actually a newly acquired hobby over the past couple of years. I enjoy entering various things in the county fair for judging. I entered this soup and won a first place BLUE RIBBON! (this and my own salsa recipe won my very first blue ribbons, this year!). My children are concerned that I "stole" your recipe, so I just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS! To you on this first place win!!! Thank you for sharing it!!!

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  16. My first batch is processing right now! I did not peel my tomatoes so I'll let you know how it turns out. As of now it is awesome, but we'll see if it changes over time! One question...I am hearing the jars pop within a couple minutes DURING processing! Is that okay? I've never had a can seal while processing before so just wondering if it's something I should worry about. Thanks so much for your wonderful blog...because of you my basement shelf is getting fully stocked with wonderful goodies from our first garden!!

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    1. I think I've had an early popper a time or two as well. As long as they stay sealed once cooled, I think you're fine:-). Congratulations on your first garden and full shelves!!

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  17. Thanks!! Most of them actually ended up popping within the first 10 minutes of processing, but they sealed well and it still was really awesome with the skin on. I did puree it pretty smooth though. Time will tell if not peeling them affects it later on, but for now it's great!

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  18. OH my! I made this today.I used tomatoes I had previously canned in the summer and it is wonderful! Worked great with the previously canned tomatoes but I can't wait to make it with fresh ones this summer! Love your blog!

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  19. Jane, I just wanted to tell you this is what we had with dinner tonight. It really is, hands down, the best tomato soup I have ever tasted. I am a herb gardener, so I bumped up the basil quite a bit. Thank you for a great recipe. This is as wonderful site and I admire your work in the service of our Lord.

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  20. Oh my pregnant tummy loves you and this recipe :-) I remember thinking you we're crazy for wanting me to make soup in the dead of summer but I am SO glad I did! I made two batches of this and just finished the last jar of it. It was amazing! I also love your "stewed" tomatoes recipe without having to actually water bath can them. I did that with most of my tomatoes last summer and it worked perfectly. Thank you!

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  21. I'm back for more tomato soup. Your soup recipe has become my "go to" recipe for soup making. I am back and making tomato soup today. This year, I'll make two batches because we love it and because I can never go back to the grocery store variety. Try a bit of your preserved cilatro in this soup sometime. I am also using your cilatro recipe. Thank you, again.

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  22. Do you can this with the butter? I has always thought you couldn't put dairy because it could spoil? I'm new to this so enlighten me!

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    1. I note above (under the "To Can" section) that you can saute the onions in water instead of oil or butter if you're going to can it. It's yummy with butter if you aren't going to preserve it but when we can it, we use water instead and it still tastes delicious:-).

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  23. I'm Baaack! There is no better tomato soup recipe. You are causing me a lot of extra work. Every year, there is a request for even more tomato soup. Not a complaint, because, goodness, this is an easy winter meal. As an herb gardener, I add extra herbs, but I always use your recipe. So, just a hello and thank you.

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  24. Curious what extra herbs you add?

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    1. I double up on basil, add oregano, thyme and use extra roasted garlic. - Patsy Bell

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  25. This soup is so delicious! I just finished making it for the third year in a row. The previous two years, I have frozen it. It freezes well but must be simmered a few minutes to drive off the extra moisture that results from freezing. I usually simmer it in the crock pot for a few hours with some cream added in. It is yummy!

    This year I am going to try canning it so that I don't have to simmer it as long when we're ready to eat. I also have to try those rolls with roasted garlic. They look divine! Thanks as always for an awesome recipe and great inspiration!

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  26. I know you haven't had any issues with the oil going rancid when this is canned, but I wonder, for those concerned, if coconut oil would be a good option as I'e read/heard that it doesn't go rancid as quickly as other oils. Or, is it something in the process of canning any oil that is the concern?

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    1. I don't know if coconut oil would be any more or less a problem- water is always a good solution if you're not sure:-).

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  27. i can lots of things but never tomato soup so i have silly question! what about the seeds? should they be removed or do they puree right in?

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    1. It's not a silly question! The blender won't break down the seeds (unless you have a vitamix type blender) so there will be small tomato seeds in your soup. We don't mind them, though. It you think you'd mind them, you can always send it through a sieve or foley-type strainer with a very small grade sieve. Hope this helps!

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  28. Just waiting for the hot water bath to be done. Having it for supper with grilled cheese. Made 7 qts. plus some for supper!Taste delish!!! Thanks for sharing your recipes.

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  29. I have been using this recipe exactly how you have it, for 4 years. It is such a hit with my family and my in-laws. I have to start hiding it from everyone! My college kids even take it to school with them.

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  30. i just tried making the soup with olive oil infused with butter-epic!
    Hopefully solves the curdling when freezing

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  31. I LOVE this recipe and have been making it for years!! I can it...but I only get 6 pint jars, not 6 quarts. Any idea why there can be such a huge difference? I use all the exact same measurements! Also, is it safe to be canning chicken stock? I've been using vegetable to be safe but wasn't sure. I make my own chicken stock too and know it would be yummier than the store bought vegetable stock I've been using. Thanks so much, I love your site and also make your pasta sauce & salsa! :-)

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