This delicious homemade tomato soup recipe uses smoky bacon, sweet roasted garlic, and fresh diced carrots to balance out acidic tomatoes creating a delicious tomato soup. Perfect for snowy nights and sick days.
Are you snowed in? We are enjoying one of NC s annual ice storms which means Garrett is home from work and we are cozy and happy inside. I have zero use for ice and snow and cold weather in general, but I m perfectly happy to have a snow day. Especially if it means staying inside curled up under a blanket making a dent in the Netflix queue and eating steaming bowls of Roasted Garlic Basil Tomato Soup with melty, gooey grilled cheese sandwiches. That s the kind of snow day I can get excited about.
Tomato soup and any kind of grilled cheese/fancy bread dipping situation is just about comfort food perfection in my book. Any sip of creamy tomato soup takes me right back to my grandmother s house having tomato soup and oyster crackers for lunch while we watched the Price Is Right and had a picnic on the living room floor. I can t help but feel happy eating tomato soup. This recipe is just as comforting as the canned tomato soup my grandmother used to make, but we ve kicked it up a notch. When I first made this a few weeks ago I used what I found appealing in my pantry, fridge, and freezer. I love recipes like this that use up the odds and ends.
I start by roasting a head of garlic until it s soft and sweet and creamy. Roasting garlic takes the bite off, that garlicky edge, and leaves a sweet, savory, incomparable flavor that s perfect for soups, dips, and Parmesan Truffle Fries. Once the garlic is roasted and cooled enough to remove the cloves, it s time to build the base of the soup. Bacon goes in the bottom of our Dutch oven and fries until it s beginning to crisp. We leave the bacon in the bottom of the pan and add diced carrots, minced garlic, and chopped shallots. Those sauté a bit until they soften and then we add tomato paste, dried basil, and whole peeled tomatoes. Chicken stock joins the party and we bring it all to a boil then reduce it to simmer for at least half an hour. Once everything has simmered, I use an immersion blender directly in the pot to blend the soup into a creamy consistency. I like to leave a few larger pieces of tomato and carrots in mine, but the beauty of the immersion blender is you can blend to your heart s content. If you don t have an immersion blender (why not?!), you can easily do this in a regular blender. Just add the soup in batches to the blender and carefully blend.
The salty, smoky bacon and the sweet roasted garlic give this soup layers of flavor and depth that you ll never get from a can of soup and the sweetness from the diced carrots is the perfect compliment to the acidity of the tomatoes. Maybe it takes a little more effort to roast the garlic (though seriously it could not be easier) and of course there s some chopping of carrots, shallots, and garlic involved. But, y all, it s a snow day and this Roasted Garlic Basil Tomato Soup is absolutely worth the effort and the time. Add in a grilled cheese or a few slices of rosemary olive oil bread (I buy mine at the bakery) and you ll have a deliciously happy snow day.
Stay warm and enjoy! 5.0 from 2 reviews Print Roasted Garlic Basil Tomato Soup Author: Jessica Wood Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 2 hours Total time: 2 hours 20 mins Serves: 6 This delicious homemade roasted garlic basil tomato soup recipe uses smoky bacon, sweet roasted garlic, and fresh diced carrots to balance out acidic tomatoes creating a delicious tomato soup. Ingredients 1 head of garlic olive oil salt pepper 6 slices Bacon 1 Shallot, sliced 1 tsp dried basil 2 carrots, diced 32 oz chicken stock 2 tbsp tomato paste 2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes 1 parmesan rind (optional) fresh basil Instructions 1. Start by roasting garlic. Cut the top off a whole head of garlic to expose the cloves inside. Top with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Wrap in tin foil and bake in a 375 oven for 45
minutes. Remove and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, unwrap garlic and squeeze cloves out of head. Chop roughly and set aside. 2. Cut bacon into pieces and fry in a large dutch oven over medium heat until bacon is cooked through. 3. When bacon is cooked, add diced carrots, sliced shallots, and chopped roasted garlic to pan and cook 4-5 minutes to allow vegetables to soften. Add tomato paste and dried basil and let cook another 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 4. Add whole tomatoes, chicken stock, and parmesan rind (optional). Bring soup to boil then reduce and let simmer at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour, stirring occasionally. 5. After soup has simmered, use an immersion blender to puree soup until it reaches your desired consistency. You can also do this in batches in a blender. Taste soup and add additional salt and pepper to taste. After pureeing and seasoning, let soup cook another 10-15 minutes on low. 6. Serve with fresh basil and warm bread or a melty grilled cheese sandwich. 7. Enjoy! Notes The cook time includes the time it will take to roast the garlic and cook the soup.