Ingredients
2 T olive oil
1 small white onion, finely chopped
2 small celery hearts (or 1 rib of celery), finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T tomato paste
½ t dried oregano
½ t fresh ground black pepper
½ t salt
2 T brown sugar
2 15-oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 1-cup vegetable bouillon cubes
2 c water
Directions
1 In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook and stir until tender, 2–4 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir 1–2 minutes. Add tomato paste, oregano, pepper, salt, and sugar; cook and stir 1–2 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, bouillon and water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
2 Puree soup; return to pan and heat through.
This really is satisfying. It is so satisfying that this tomato soup doesn’t even need a grilled cheese sandwich to go with it! I have to say that this recipe was the second version of tomato soup that I made this week. The first version had no depth of flavor and therefore was not very satisfying. But a few little additions and one subtraction to the original recipe, created the recipe as it is written here, and this soup is how tomato soup should taste. Tomatoey, both sweet and savory, and finished with a little heat from black pepper. I think the ingredients that especially made the difference were the vegetable bouillon and tomato paste. They each added a depth that wasn’t there in the first version. These two ingredients brought the soup from the one-dimensional flavor of pureed diced tomatoes with a hint of onion into a delicious multi-dimensional flavor. So, if you’re like me, take this recipe and change it to make it your own, but keep in the vegetable bouillon and tomato paste for a truly tasty and satisfying tomato soup.
If you’d like to see the original recipes my posts are based on or read Taste of Home’s article that inspired my 50 Soups in 25 Weeks blogging, go to: https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/soups-to-keep-you-warm-this-fall/.
